Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed the need for air defenses and rebuilding the country’s energy system as he spoke Tuesday at a reconstruction conference hosted by Germany, Paralel.Az reports citing Voice of America.

Zelenskyy said Russian forces have targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, with drone and missile attacks destroying half of Ukraine’s energy generation capacity since winter.

He said that after two years of war, Ukraine’s military has shown it can hold on the frontlines and maintain access to the Black Sea.

"Russia's greatest strategic advantage over Ukraine is superiority in the sky. It is missile and bomb terror that helps Russian troops advance on the ground," Zelenskyy said. "Air defense is the answer."