Russia is trying to destroy our power plants and our entire energy system. It’s trying to kill our light. And Ukraine, together with our friends, is fighting against the darkness. This is a battle where everything is clear. There are no gray zones here. And there are also deep Christian meanings in this – in how we defend ourselves, in how we get assisted, in how our people help each other in any circumstances. In how repair crews work day and night, under shellings, in minus 20 degrees, to make sure enemy strikes do not destroy life and that light returns. We fight every day so that darkness loses. So it’s important for us to have enough air defense for safe sky. It is important for us to support our people and recover after strikes. It is important for us to achieve a dignified peace and reliable security guarantees. And I thank you for every action and every prayer that helps make this possible. I addressed the 20th American-Ukrainian Prayer Breakfast.

Last night, the Russians struck facilities critical to the operation of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. Today, units at Ukraine’s NPPs reduced power generation, and one unit was automatically shut down. This is a level of attack that no terrorist in the world has ever dared, and Russia must feel the world's response. Russia must show that not only such strikes and the war matter to it, but also the ongoing negotiations that are supposed to deliver results.

We await the reaction of America to the Russian strikes. It was the U.S. proposal—to halt strikes on energy during diplomacy and severe winter weather. The President of the United States made the request personally. Russia responded with a record number of ballistic missiles.