Zelensky warns of painful winter for Russia if energy truce talks fail

President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Moscow at the United Nations on Wednesday that Ukraine would strike back and make the coming winter deeply painful for Russia, if the two sides cannot agree a truce on energy attacks before the cold sets in.

Ukraine and its allies are racing to secure limited agreements on energy infrastructure and Black Sea shipping before winter, fearing renewed Russian strikes on power and heating ‌facilities, while Moscow continues to show little interest in wider negotiations to end the war.

“Ukrainians understand that this winter could be very harsh for us. But in response, we will have no choice but to make it painful for Russia too,” Zelensky told the UN General Assembly during the annual gathering of world leaders in New York.