NATO chief talks with Zelenskiy 'about Russia's attacks causing terrible human suffering'. The announcement made by the two officials
Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelensky Photo: Ukrinform / ddp USA / Profimedia
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke Thursday with the president of Ukraine, where the latest Russian attacks have caused widespread blackouts and authorities have decided to declare a state of emergency in the energy sector.
Mark Rutte said in a post on the X platform that he spoke with Volodymyr Zelensky about the situation in the Ukrainian energy sector, “Russia's attacks that are causing terrible human suffering, as well as the ongoing efforts to end the war.”
“We are committed to ensuring that Ukraine continues to receive the crucial support it needs to defend itself today and ultimately to secure lasting peace,” Rutte added.
The president of Ukraine also spoke about the discussion with the head of NATO, who said that “Russian attacks during such a cold winter create serious challenges” for his country.
Ukraine hopes for “an increase in contributions” from allies for armaments
According to the Ukrainian president, there was an attack by Russian forces on a power plant in Kharkiv on Thursday, and “hundreds of thousands of people were left without electricity and heating”.
“I informed Mark about these attacks and about our needs for protection and strengthening of air defenses. The PURL initiative is helping us a lot in this regard, and we count on an increase in contributions this month,” Zelenskiy added, referring to the mechanism by which Ukraine's European allies buy US military equipment.
The Ukrainian leader also mentioned that he and the head of NATO discussed “in detail about our diplomatic activity, as well as our contacts with partners in the United States and Europe.”
“We exchanged views on the next steps. We have already made significant progress, and now it is important not to slow down the pace. Ukraine has never been – and will never be – an obstacle to achieving peace,” Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.
I spoke with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte @SecGenNATO.
Russian strikes during such a cold winter are creating serious challenges for us. Today there was a Russian strike on an energy facility in Kharkiv: hundreds of thousands of people were left without electricity and… pic.twitter.com/NY9V34A8nP
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Volodymyr Zelenskyy (@ZelenskyyUa) January 15, 2026
