A police officer helps an elderly woman out of a residential building damaged by a Russian airstrike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Saturday.
Kateryna Klochko/AP
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Kateryna Klochko/AP
kyiv, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged his supporters Saturday to defend new U.S. sanctions against Russia, hours after President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending a broad set of restrictions targeting the Russian economy.
The White House decision further raised fears that Ukraine could be exposed to increasing attacks from Moscow as winter approaches.
Russian attacks overnight killed at least four people, including an ambulance driver, and injured dozens of others, officials said. Ukrainian drones killed a woman in a Russian border region and disrupted flights at Moscow airports, Russian authorities say.
In a statement on social media, Zelenskyy called Trump’s decision to suspend sanctions unfortunate, but did not directly criticize the US leader despite tensions between Ukraine and Washington escalating in recent days.
“Unfortunately, America has decided to completely ignore the Lindsey Graham Act, which was supposed to put truly effective pressure on Russia to end this war,” Zelensky wrote.
Later, in audio excerpts responding to reporters’ questions, Zelenskyy thanked Democrats and Republicans who supported the legislation and praised its bipartisan support. He said blocking it would encourage Russia to continue killing and would do nothing to end the war.
He also added that limiting Ukraine’s ability to retaliate against Russian attacks would not bring peace.
“Nevertheless, we sincerely hope – and I personally hope – that the President of the United States of America will do everything possible to get Putin to stop the killing, stop the attacks on our energy infrastructure and end this war,” he said.
Critics say Trump’s decision helps Putin
Named for the late South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, the legislation sought to more quickly quell the flow of financial resources fueling Russia’s 4 1/2-year war against Ukraine. The bill sought to sanction Russian officials, banks and a shadow fleet of oil tankers that transport Russian energy.
Trump personally signed the law last month and his decision came just two days before the deadline set in the law itself for its implementation.
The president told Congress the pause was in the national interest, but gave no further details.
Rescue workers walk past a residential building damaged by a Russian airstrike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Saturday.
Kateryna Klochko/AP
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Kateryna Klochko/AP
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, co-author of the bill, said in a statement that Trump was turning his back on “the majority of Americans, their representatives in both houses of Congress, and our European allies.”
“These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with an attempt to deceive Vladimir Putin,” Blumenthal said.
Trump’s unexpected move comes a week after he made a stunning declaration that the United States had agreed to buy diesel from Russia to try to lower global energy prices, even though it could hurt Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Trump said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by another 500,000 tons in November and a million tons “immediately thereafter.”
The decision has been pilloried by Republicans and Democrats, who say it will help Russia carry out its war against Ukraine – without making a difference to global fuel prices, which are high mainly because of Trump’s war against Iran.
kyiv says Moscow carried out ‘massive’ energy strike
Zelensky also said on Saturday that Moscow had carried out a massive strike against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, targeting more than 15 sites across the country.
“The scale and relentless pace of Russian strikes, particularly against our energy sector, are unfortunately having serious consequences,” he said.
Ukraine’s air force said Russian forces launched four cruise missiles and 332 attack drones overnight. All missiles and 289 drones have been removed or destroyed, according to the statement.
A car burns after a Russian airstrike on a residential area in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Saturday.
Kateryna Klochko/AP
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Kateryna Klochko/AP
Russia’s massive pre-winter bombing of the power grid is an annual feature of the war, aimed at depleting Ukraine’s fighting appetite by depriving civilians of heat and running water. Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia is stockpiling ballistic missiles in preparation for further attacks in the coming months.
Russian attacks have killed three people in the Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, Vadym Liakh, head of the city’s military administration, said Saturday. Writing on social media, Liakh said two apartment buildings were partially destroyed and other houses damaged.
A Russian strike also killed an ambulance driver in Ukraine’s Kherson region, the head of the local military administration, Yaroslav Shanko, said. The attack, which used guided bombs, injured at least 33 other people, he said.
Ukrainian drones kill 1 person, ground hundreds of flights at Moscow airports
Elsewhere, a Russian woman was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Russian border region of Belgorod, local officials said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday its forces shot down 610 Ukrainian drones overnight over 15 Russian regions, as well as Ukraine’s annexed Crimea peninsula and the Black Sea.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 100 drones had been shot down as they headed toward the Russian capital. More than 350 flights were canceled or delayed at Moscow airports, local media reported, with planes grounded in response to the arrival of drones.
The Kremlin announced Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had approved a government program to help restore trade and logistics facilities damaged by drone attacks.
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