Ukraine to respond in kind to Russian strikes on energy infrastructure - Zelenskyy

The president said this during a Zoom briefing for journalists, reports RBC-Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said that during his conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump, they discussed the security of energy, the power grid, and other civilian infrastructure. He emphasized the importance of preparing lists of facilities against which Russia cannot use weapons, as they are part of the energy infrastructure.

"That's why we're ready for this discussion. The technical team is prepared. The only thing I said to the team is that I want to add not so many diplomats for this meeting, but rather more technical experts, especially those dealing with energy, nuclear power, and infrastructure. Because I think this will be a more technical conversation—what these facilities are, how to classify them. And also, as you rightly said, how to control all of this. In fact, we partly discussed this with Trump," he said.

Zelenskyy also pointed out that the United States would need to oversee Russia’s compliance with the agreement to cease strikes on energy facilities. However, it is not yet clear in what format this will take place. As an example, the president mentioned the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

“There needs to be a technical blueprint outlining all these actions. Basically, we went through this with the Russians, the Turks, and the UN. You remember, with our maritime security corridor, we generally understand what technical challenges may arise and how to control them,” Zelenskyy said.

He believes this issue will likely be discussed during negotiations in Saudi Arabia, if the technical teams reach that stage.

“Well, let’s hope for the best. Although, probably not without surprises, as always. So, that’s roughly where things stand today. How can Ukraine respond? In kind,” Zelenskyy added.

• On March 18, U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin that lasted about two hours. According to both parties, they agreed on a limited stop in attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Moscow also demanded a suspension of mobilization in Ukraine and rearmament of the Ukrainian Armed Forces during a potential ceasefire.
• Following Donald Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Kremlin leader had effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire.
• On Sunday, March 23, representatives of the U.S. and Russia will hold negotiations in Saudi Arabia regarding the details of halting strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure in the Russian-Ukrainian war.