Helsinki, Mar 19 (EFE).- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of deceiving the world, saying Russia’s renewed attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure prove his so-called partial truce is meaningless.
Speaking in Helsinki alongside Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Zelenskyy urged the international community to tighten pressure on Moscow, stressing that Putin’s words “do not match reality.”
Zelenskyy said that Russian forces launched 150 drones overnight, striking key Ukrainian facilities, including energy infrastructure, transport hubs, and two hospitals.
“Putin’s words are far from reality,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the Russian president’s claim that he had ordered a halt to strikes on Ukraine’s energy sector.
“We must ensure that Putin’s words are not just empty promises because he issued an order to stop attacks and then immediately violated it.”
Zelenskyy reiterated the need for US oversight to ensure Russia complies with the proposed partial ceasefire. He also stated that Ukraine would present a list of energy and civilian sites that must be protected under the truce. “If the Russians do not strike our infrastructure, we will not strike theirs,” he said.
The matter could be discussed in Ukraine’s upcoming meeting with envoys from US President Donald Trump.
Zelenskyy also accused Putin of attempting to “weaken” Ukraine by reportedly urging Trump on Tuesday to halt all U.S. arms shipments and intelligence-sharing with Kyiv.
“He wants us to be blind to his attacks,” Zelenskyy said, emphasizing the vital role of U.S. intelligence in protecting Ukraine from Russian strikes, including ballistic missile attacks.
While Zelenskyy acknowledged that the U.S.-proposed ceasefire is a “correct” first step toward ending the war, he made it clear that Ukraine would never recognize Russian-occupied territories as part of Russia.
“For us, the red line is the recognition of temporarily occupied territories as Russian. We will not accept it,” Zelenskyy said when asked about the possibility of U.S.-Russia negotiations requiring Ukraine to recognize Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, as Russian territory. EFE
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