MOSCOW: Russia and Ukraine both launched record drone attacks on each other overnight, as the Kremlin said it saw “positive signals” from US president-elect Donald Trump over his desire to strike a deal to end the conflict.

Trump’s election to the White House has the potential to upend the almost three-year Ukraine conflict and has thrown into question Washington’s multibillion-dollar support for Kyiv.

Trump said during the campaign he could end the fighting within hours and has indicated he will talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin — a major break from the approach struck by President Joe Biden.

Ukrainian President Volod­ymyr Zelensky said Russia fired 145 drones overnight, more than in any single night-time attack.

Record 145 drones launched towards Ukraine overnight

“Last night, Russia launched a record 145 Shaheds and other strike drones against Ukraine,” Zelensky said on social media.

Russia also said it had downed 34 Ukrainian attack drones targeting Moscow, the largest attempted attack on the capital.

‘Positive signals’

While having publicly claimed to be backing Kamala Harris in the US polls, the Kremlin is believed to have actually wanted to see Trump return to the White House, welcoming his scepticism over American aid to Ukraine and his chaotic leadership style.

“The signals are positive. Trump during his election campaign talked about how he perceives everything through deals, that he can make a deal that can lead to peace,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview.

“At least he’s talking about peace, and not about confrontation. He isn’t talking about his wish to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia — that distinguishes him from the current administration,” Peskov added.

But he warned about Trump’s unpredictability. “What will happen next, it’s hard to say,” Peskov said, adding that Trump was “less predictable” than Harris and Biden.

Trump has not said how he intends to strike a peace deal or what terms he is proposing.

Russia’s President Putin has demanded Ukraine withdraw from swathes of its eastern and southern territory as a ‘precondition’ to peace talks.

Following Trump’s election, Zelensky warned there should be “no concessions” to Putin, saying ceding land or giving in to any of his other demands would only embolden the Kremlin and lead to more aggression.

‘Massive’ attack

Talk of a US-brokered deal comes with Russia advancing on the battlefield as Moscow’s troops made their largest territorial gains in October since March 2022, according to AFP analysis of data from the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Moscow’s defence ministry claimed on Sunday to have captured another village in Ukraine’s east.

Kyiv’s attempted drone strike on Moscow was its largest attack on the Russian capital of the conflict, with Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov calling it “massive”.

It forced the temporary closure of three airports, wounded a 52-year-old woman and set two homes on fire in the village of Stanovoye in the Moscow region, officials said.

The defence ministry said Russia’s air defence had downed a total of 70 Ukrainian drones during three hours over six regions. It said 34 were downed over the Moscow region and the rest over Bryansk, Orlov, Kaluga, Tula and Kursk.

In the Moscow region, local officials said the drones were downed in the Ramenskoye, Kolomna and Domodedovo districts.

In the previous largest drone attack on or near Moscow in September, a woman was killed in Ramenskoye — the first time someone has been killed in a Ukrainian attack near the capital.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2024