Berlin/Moscow/The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, appealed this Saturday to the US Congress, which since January will once again be controlled by the Democrats after the legislative elections on Tuesday, to pay more attention and help to the country invaded by Russia, after a massive Russian attack against kyiv and before the negotiations that will resume next Tuesday in Abu Dhabi.
“The determination and coherence of the United States in its support for Ukraine are fundamental to bringing peace closer,” he stressed in a message on his social networks after Russian forces attacked energy facilities, which further complicate the supply of water and electricity in the capital.
“When Russia tries to plunge kyiv, a city of millions of inhabitants, and the entire country into darkness, Ukraine must not be left alone. We count on greater bilateral support from the United States. We trust that the US Congress will pay more attention to Ukraine, because Russia continues to increase the number of its attacks,” the president said.
“We trust that both parties (Democrats and Republicans) will maintain a united position on security issues, support for Ukraine, condemnation of Russian aggression and increasing sanctions pressure” on Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelensky added.
“We trust that both parties (Democrats and Republicans) will maintain a united position on security issues, support for Ukraine, condemnation of Russian aggression and increasing sanctions pressure” on Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelensky added.
The Ukrainian head of state denounced that Russia is preceding the talks with Ukraine under US mediation “with the launch of ballistic missiles against critical infrastructure in Ukraine.”
He explained that, in total, the Russians used 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles, all of them directed against kyiv and the surrounding region.
A substation connecting the Rivne and Khmelnytsky nuclear power plants with kyiv and the central regions of Ukraine was hit in the kyiv region.
Energy infrastructure was once again the main target in the capital, which “is experiencing serious difficulties in the supply of electricity, water and heating,” said Zelensky, who explained that the attack also caused damage to residential buildings and the North Bridge of kyiv, as well as a daycare center.
In addition to kyiv, twelve other regions were targeted, including Vinnitsia, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Kharkiv and Dnipro, where substations were damaged.
In total, nine people were injured, six of them in kyiv, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS).
On the other hand, the death toll from the Russian attack with nine aerial bombs on Monday against an underground school in the town of Komishuvaja, in the Ukrainian region of Zaporizhia, has increased to 55, the DSNS reported this Saturday.
The organization explained that, despite the difficult conditions and the constant threat of new attacks, the rescuers and cynological teams of the State Emergency Service continue to remove the destroyed structures and inspect the area in search of the bodies of the victims, with a toll that began at around 20 dead and this Friday had already risen to 53.
The town’s school was built underground so that it could continue functioning despite the hostilities, but the infrastructure was not designed to withstand the power and quantity of explosives used by the Russian Army in this attack.
The school was built underground so that it could continue functioning despite the hostilities, but it was not designed to withstand the power and quantity of explosives used by the Russian Army in this attack.
Some of the aerial bombs dropped by Russia on the school carried almost a ton and a half of explosive. This type of weaponry launched from aircraft is normally used to destroy fortifications and reinforced concrete structures.
The now destroyed center was used as a distribution point for humanitarian aid and also as an air raid shelter. At the time of the attack, many residents were at the school to receive food or take shelter from the Russian fire.
Zelensky regretted on Thursday in his speech before the Ibero-American Summit held in Madrid that what could be the deadliest Russian attack against civilians of the entire war has not provoked a greater international reaction.
The new political situation in the United States could favor kyiv. The Kremlin fears that the Democratic majority in both chambers will prevent the head of the White House, Donald Trump, from continuing to pressure Ukraine to give in to Russian territorial claims.
Analysts believe that Putin will never receive an offer as good as the one Trump made him in 2025 and that the Russian leader rejected in the hope that his troops would soon take over the entire Donbas, something that is very far from happening.
The Republican defeat could not have come at a worse time for Moscow. “Our chances of receiving additional assistance from the United States could increase now,” Zelensky told TSN.
“During the last few years we have detected on the part of Congress, where a solid anti-Russian consensus has been forged, a clear sabotage of ideas and initiatives aimed at even the normalization of bilateral relations,” said Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
He acknowledged what he called a “convincing victory” for the Democratic Party and stressed that this result will have “a considerable influence” on political life in the United States. “This will surely have an impact on the character of legal initiatives and will also leave its mark on international affairs,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin tried to put a good face on the bad weather. “President Trump will remain in office until the end of his presidential term and will shape his foreign policy,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov.
“We sincerely hope that he will persist in his peacemaking efforts (…) we already have some of the work done, a new round of three-way talks will take place soon. We also have the successful humanitarian efforts of Melania Trump. We hope that all of that will continue,” he said.
At the same time, he recalled that Russia is a “sovereign country” that cannot depend on the internal political situation in the United States. “Russia’s interests will be guaranteed either by military means, through the continuation of the special military operation, or by peaceful means, if someone in kyiv demonstrates will and assumes political responsibility,” he asserted.
The former US ambassador in Moscow, Michael McFaul, who considers Trump’s “betrayal of Ukraine” to be one of the “most radical turns” in the history of US foreign policy, assures that “after these elections, Trump has practically no room for maneuver to pressure Zelensky.”
In his opinion, Putin made a serious mistake by believing that “time was on his side” and that Trump was the person who would make concessions to Russia, both in Ukraine and when sealing trade deals.
“But now Trump is a lame duck and his time is up. His options for entering into negotiations that are beneficial to Putin have now been significantly reduced,” he explained to the independent Russian channel Dozhd, where he recalled that, according to polls, 80% of Americans have a negative image of the Russian leader.
“Putin bought time, since he thought he would close some kind of deal with Trump, but now he is in a hurry, a big hurry to reach an agreement. There is no more time. You can’t wait any longer,” he said.
He did not rule out that Trump vetoes Democratic projects for sanctions on Russia and aid to Ukraine, but he also predicted that the head of US diplomacy, Marco Rubio, could resign to lead his own presidential campaign.
“If he is a sensible man, if he wants to be president, he should leave. He has that option. (On the other hand) His main rival in the electoral race, JD Vance, cannot do it,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the agreement between Putin and Trump on Russian diesel has not had the effect desired by both. It neither caused the promised drop in fuel prices nor attracted votes as an instrument to combat inflation, the main concern of American voters.
In fact, Trump had to admit that the war in Iran, the real trigger for the rise in oil prices in the eyes of Americans, was the reason for the Republican defeat and, in no case, the absence of a peaceful settlement in Ukraine.
In addition, media such as the Financial Times reported that at least two Russian oil tankers changed course when heading to US ports after the election results were made public.
Even the Brent barrel suffered a significant drop of more than 8% after the closure of schools and although it seemed to recover in the following days, its future will depend on Trump’s next steps in his relationship with the Islamic republic.
