The leader described Russia’s Putin as the ‘patient zero’ from whom the idea of war keeps spreading further
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenReutersPublished: 5:01am, 24 Sep 2026Updated: 5:06am, 24 Sep 2026Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Moscow at the United Nations on Wednesday that his nation 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.
