Zelensky asks Latin America for transformers and generators for Ukraine’s power grid

Volodymyr Zelensky at the Ibero-American Summit in Madrid on Thursday, November 5, appealed to Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries with a request for supplies of transformers, cables, generators and other electrical equipment.

This is reported by Reuters.

According to the agency, he told the leaders that Russian missile and drone strikes had damaged all of Ukraine’s power plants, and that energy workers are constantly carrying out repairs to prevent a blackout across the country. According to The Manila Times, the appeal is addressed primarily to Latin America, where attitudes toward supporting Ukraine after the “2022 Russian invasion” remain mixed. It came as Russia has stepped up strikes on Ukraine’s power grid ahead of winter.

Specific requests to each country

Zelensky said Kyiv would like to receive transformers from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia, cables from Chile, and generators and electrical equipment from Spain. According to Reuters, he asked governments to connect Ukraine with companies that can quickly supply compatible equipment.

“We urgently need equipment — more equipment. We need transformers, power cables and modern electronic equipment,” he said, according to UNN.

He also noted that Russia is striking energy equipment on which Ukrainian nuclear power plants depend. In addition, Zelensky proposed that countries cooperate with Ukraine in the field of drones and electronic warfare within the Drone Deals format. According to him, Ukraine “can produce several times more drones than we currently have the funds to pay for,” UNN reports.

War crimes and abducted children

Zelensky urged the leaders “not to remain silent about Russia’s war crimes.” He recalled the airstrike on Komyshuvakha in Zaporizhzhia Oblast: according to him, the bombs hit a school where people had gathered to receive humanitarian aid. At the time of his speech, he said, 43 bodies had been recovered and another 53 people were listed as missing, UNN reports.

He also stated that Russia has begun conscripting abducted Ukrainian children who reached conscription age during the war into its army.

“Tens of thousands of Ukrainian children were abducted from our land. And now we are seeing something even more terrible,” he said, according to Interfax-Ukraine.

Zelensky warned: if Russia succeeds in getting the world to accept the occupation of Ukrainian lands, it “will destroy the entire system of borders in the world.”

An unexpected visit on the eve of talks in Abu Dhabi

Zelensky arrived unexpectedly on Wednesday, November 4, for talks whose main topic will be air defense, Reuters reports. According to Euronews, his schedule includes meetings with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and King Felipe VI. The visit takes place ahead of Ukraine-Russia-US talks mediated by Washington, scheduled for November 10–11 in Abu Dhabi.

According to Sánchez, Ukraine deserves support because there is “an aggressor and a victim,” and helping Kyiv also serves Europe’s interests, Reuters reports.