Zelensky asks Spain for grid equipment as Ukraine faces power cuts

President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Spain and Latin America on 5 November to help repair Ukraine’s power grid. Speaking in Madrid, he said strikes by Russia had damaged all of the country’s power plants.

He made the appeal at the 30th Ibero-American Summit. He said Ukraine needed grid equipment fast and that repair crews were working day and night.

Zelensky named Spain as a possible source of generators and other electrical equipment. He asked governments to put Ukraine in direct touch with makers so that supplies could reach it sooner.

He sought transformers from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia, and power cables from Chile. The equipment must work with Ukraine’s grid, he told leaders at a meeting alongside the summit.

Zelensky said drones and missiles were also hitting equipment used by Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.

Russia has stepped up strikes on the energy network as cold weather nears, Meduza reported. Damage has forced Ukrainian authorities to impose urgent power cuts.

Zelensky said Ukraine needed broad help from abroad to keep rebuilding its grid. His appeal focused on swift access to the parts crews need for repairs.

During the Madrid visit, he also met King Felipe VI at the Zarzuela Palace, Euronews reported. Spain’s defence minister, Margarita Robles, was present to welcome him.

The Ibero-American Community brings together 22 countries, most of them in Latin America. Zelensky was also seen speaking with UN chief António Guterres at the summit, Euronews reported.