A few weeks before Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Russian government welcomed statements by the US President-elect regarding the war in Ukraine. Trump’s criticism of the use of US weapons on Russian territory “completely corresponds to our position,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday in Moscow. Meanwhile, Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, citing Ukraine’s use of ATACMS missiles two days earlier.
Trump spoke out against the use of US weapons on Russian territory. It is “obvious that Trump understands what the escalation of the situation is causing,” said Peskov. Trump’s view of the “causes of the escalation also corresponds to ours,” he added.
Massive attack on Ukrainian infrastructure
In an interview published in Time magazine on Thursday, Trump spoke out “vehemently” against the use of long-range US missiles against targets in Russia. “We are only escalating this war and making it even worse,” argued the former and future US president in the interview conducted at the end of November. In mid-November, the government of outgoing US President Joe Biden gave Kiev the green light to use ATACMS missiles against targets in Russia.
Russia again massively attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Friday. The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia fired several Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, cruise missiles and explosive drones into Ukraine. A total of 94 ballistic missiles and cruise missiles as well as almost 200 drones were fired. 81 rockets were intercepted.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian leader Vladimir Putin of “terrorizing millions of people.” On the online service X, Zelenskyj wrote: “This is Putin’s ‘peace plan’ – to destroy everything.” The Ukrainian president called for more Western air defense systems and tougher sanctions against Moscow.
Russia: Response to ATACMS missile attack
The Ukrainian energy supplier DTEK announced tighter restrictions on electricity supply. The attacks “severely damaged” the systems of central thermal power plants, it said. It is the “twelfth massive attack on the Ukrainian energy sector” this year. According to authorities, half of the Ternipol region in western Ukraine was without power.
Russia confirmed “massive” attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. This was a “reaction” to the use of long-range US ATACMS weapons by Kiev two days earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said in the Telegram online service.
For almost three years, Russia has been attacking the Ukrainian energy sector with drones and missiles, especially in winter. This leads to power outages and millions of Ukrainians sitting in the dark and cold.
Donald Trump calls for “immediate ceasefire”
During a visit to Paris last weekend, Trump called for an “immediate ceasefire” in the Ukraine war, which has been going on for almost three years. He also said Ukraine would “probably” face less aid from Washington.
With a view to peace talks, Kremlin spokesman Peskov stated on Friday that the “prerequisites for negotiations” had not yet been met. “We don’t want a ceasefire, we want peace as soon as our conditions are met and all our goals are achieved,” Peskov said.
Moscow is de facto calling for Ukraine to surrender before peace negotiations begin: Russia is demanding that the Ukrainian armed forces lay down their arms, that Kiev cede the five Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia and forego joining NATO.
Kiev and its European allies fear that Trump could force Ukraine to make sweeping concessions that would hand Putin a geopolitical and military victory.
