The Kremlin today welcomed the latest statement by Donald Trump, who objected to Kiev’s use of US missiles against Russian territory, following a new “massive” Russian airstrike against Ukraine overnight.
Moscow also said these latest strikes were in response to Kiev firing US-made ATACMS missiles two days earlier at a “military airport” in Tangarog, southwestern Russia.
The outgoing US administration of Democrat Joe Biden only authorized the use of such missiles against Russian territory in November, after having long opposed it, despite repeated requests from Kiev.
In an article published yesterday, Thursday, by Time magazine, President-elect Trump, who is due to take office in January, said he was “vehemently opposed” to the idea. “All we are doing is intensifying this war and making it worse,” he argued.
Trump’s latest statement “completely coincides” with the Russian position, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reacted today. He added that the said statement agrees with “our position on the causes of the escalation”.
Read also: Trump criticized Ukraine’s use of US missiles for strikes deep inside Russia
Moscow and Kiev are trying to win the Republican’s support against the backdrop of possible peace talks that could begin next year, after three years of Russian invasion of Ukraine that has killed tens of thousands of people on each side.
Donald Trump has called for an “immediate ceasefire” and negotiations to end the war after meeting a week ago in Paris with his Ukrainian counterpart and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Kremlin spokesman also said today that European discussions on the possible deployment of European troops as a peacekeeping force in Ukraine to guarantee a future ceasefire are premature, adding that Russia wants peace rather than just a ceasefire, while reiterating the position of Moscow that it is open to negotiations to end the conflict.
“We don’t want a cease-fire, we want peace, once our terms are met and all our goals are met,” countered Dmitry Peskov.
He assessed that “the conditions for negotiations” do not exist, as Moscow is asking for a de facto surrender of Ukraine before negotiating terms for peace.
Moscow, whose forces are advancing in eastern Ukraine, is not easing its pressure on the civilian population and this morning launched a new massive attack on its energy grid, causing widespread blackouts in sub-zero temperatures.
“In response to the use of US long-range weapons, the Russian Armed Forces conducted a massive attack against critical facilities of the energy infrastructure” of Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said via Telegram.
Russia launched 94 ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as 193 unmanned aerial vehicles, the Ukrainian Air Force said.
A total of 81 missiles and 80 drones were shot down by anti-aircraft defenses and another 105 drones “lost from radar and did not hit their targets,” according to the same source.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called through X for a “strong reaction” from the international community to put an end to the “madness” of Vladimir Putin.
If Westerners are “afraid or used to fear, Putin sees this as permission to continue,” he stressed.
The head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Andriy Sibikha, called on the West through X to deliver to Ukraine “20 air defense systems, NASAMS, HAWK and IRIS-T”.
The twelfth massive airstrike against Ukraine’s energy sector since the start of the year, today’s strikes “caused severe damage to thermal power plant equipment,” DTEC Group, the country’s main private energy provider, said in a statement.
The national energy company Ukrenergo announced for its part that the power outages are expanding throughout the country.
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