Russia is conducting "terroristic" attacks on Kyiv despite ongoing international peace efforts, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko told Newsmax on Wednesday, adding that Moscow continues to target civilians rather than military infrastructure.
Her remarks came days after Russia bombarded Kyiv with drones and missiles that struck residential districts and power facilities, killing at least 25 people and injuring dozens more.
"Russia keeps fighting," Svyrydenko told "The Record With Greta Van Susteren." "They attacked not only energy infrastructure but also residential buildings. ... More than 25 people were killed, among them four kids. There was nothing about military objects.
"From my perspective, it's a terroristic act. Instead of holding negotiations with [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin keeps killing Ukrainians."
Russia fired more than 500 drones and two dozen missiles at Ukraine overnight, authorities said Wednesday, as Ukraine's president and European leaders pressed on with talks on how to strengthen Ukrainian defenses and boost as-yet unsuccessful U.S.-led peace efforts.
Svyrydenko warned that the strikes, which have moved closer to Ukraine's western border with Poland, pose a grave risk of sparking a wider NATO conflict.
"In case [Russia] would attack countries that are members of the NATO alliance, Article 5 should go into force," she said, referring to the portion of the NATO treaty that designates an attack on one NATO nation as an attack on all and requires members to assist the ally in actions it deems necessary.
Meanwhile, Svyrydenko said economic planning is underway even as the war grinds on. She pointed to the first meeting of the governing board of the newly launched U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, calling it a "historical agreement.”
The board — composed of three American and three Ukrainian representatives — met Wednesday and approved operating rules, set up committees, and authorized bank accounts. Svyrydenko said the initiative is structured to attract private capital into Ukraine, particularly in strategic industries such as crucial raw materials, infrastructure, and logistics.
"We finalized the terms of the production-sharing agreement of the biggest lithium deposit in Ukraine, and there are plenty of U.S. companies showing interest," she said. The government also announced plans for large-scale privatization and a major public-private partnership to modernize the Port of Chornomorsk on the Black Sea.
Svyrydenko said the fund is not direct U.S. aid, but an investment platform aimed at profitable projects.
"This is an investment fund aimed to invest in investment projects within Ukraine," she said. "American investments can serve as a guarantee of security for both Ukraine and U.S. business operating in Ukraine."
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this report.
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