Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of escalating attacks to put pressure on Kyiv and its partners before peace negotiations scheduled for next week. His comments followed an overnight barrage that disrupted electricity supplies across Ukraine as temperatures fell. He said Moscow was using the strikes to strengthen its position ahead of the diplomatic meeting.
Ukraine’s energy ministry said Saturday’s assault on several energy facilities left five regions without power and severely disrupted electricity transmission in Kyiv and nearby regions. According to Zelenskyy, Russia launched 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles overnight. He said the barrage included KN-23 missiles made and supplied by North Korea.
Ukrainian officials are expected to meet Russian negotiators and US envoys in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday for US-brokered trilateral talks, the first such discussions in months. The meeting is intended to restart stalled efforts towards peace. That diplomatic process has been on hold since February, when Washington turned its attention to its war with Iran.
Zelenskyy also called on the United States to step up its waning assistance to Ukraine, highlighting a shortage of missiles used by Patriot air defence systems to intercept incoming attacks. He said the US was best placed to help fill the gap in supplies.
In Italy, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Saturday that pro-Russian hackers had targeted him because of his support for Ukraine. Writing on X, he said his personal information had been posted on the dark web. He also said the hackers were offering payment for additional information about him and his family.
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni expressed solidarity with Tajani and voiced serious concern over the sale of confidential information about public officials. Meloni has been among Ukraine’s strongest supporters among western leaders. Moscow has not commented on the incident.
In France, far-left presidential contender Jean-Luc Mélenchon said any settlement involving Ukrainian territorial concessions would require consultation with the affected populations. Speaking to thousands of supporters at a rally outside Paris on Saturday, he outlined the foreign policy positions of his France Unbowed party. Polls suggest he could advance to the second round of next year’s presidential election.
Mélenchon, who has previously faced criticism for questioning Zelenskyy’s legitimacy, said a government led by his party would actively pursue a resolution to the war. He also argued that Europe needed an active role in peace negotiations. Decisions about which side of a border people would live on could not be made without their agreement, he said.
Separately, local officials in Russia’s Belgorod region said a Ukrainian drone struck a private home in Grayvoron on Saturday, killing one person. Russia’s defence ministry reported that its forces had intercepted 411 Ukrainian drones overnight across 10 Russian regions, including Belgorod. It also reported destroying drones over annexed Crimea and the Black and Azov seas. Russian media subsequently said the Saratov Oil Refinery had been struck and circulated images showing smoke rising over the city.
