Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky defended Ukraine’s military strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, arguing that revenue generated from Russian oil sales is used to fund weapons and therefore makes the energy sector a legitimate military target.
In a post on X that included a clip of him speaking at a forum, Zelensky said Ukraine does not see a meaningful distinction between military and energy targets when energy profits are used to wage war against his country.
“We do not have to choose – whether we strike a military target or energy,” Zelensky said. “[Putin] sells this energy. He sells oil. So is it energy, or is it a military target? Honestly, it’s the same thing. He sells oil, takes the money, invests it in weapons. And with those weapons, he kills Ukrainians.”
“What is a Ukrainian supposed to do? There are two ways. We either build weapons and strike their weapons. Or we strike the source where their money is generated and multiplied. And that source is their energy sector. That is what is happening. All of this is a legitimate target for us,” he added.
Ukraine itself has repeatedly been targeted by Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure. Zelensky said Russia launched a major air assault on Saturday aimed at Ukraine’s energy facilities, involving more than 400 drones and roughly 40 missiles targeting the power grid, including electricity generation sites.
"Every day, Russia could choose real diplomacy, but it chooses new strikes," Zelenskiy said in a separate post on X. "It is crucial that everyone who supports the trilateral negotiations respond to this. Moscow must be deprived of the ability to use the cold as leverage against Ukraine."
The war has now entered its fourth year. Zelensky said the United States has expressed a desire for the conflict to end by June and added that both sides have been invited for peace talks in the US next week.
