Situation at a glance: After Trump’s election victory: Zelensky urges Europeans to unite

Change of power in the USA, traffic light coalition collapsed and differences of opinion in the EU capitals: Given the uncertain future of the war with Russia, Ukraine has made an appeal to its European allies. In their own interest, they must ensure unity and stability, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his evening video message. Following the summit of the European Political Community in Budapest, there were feverish discussions and conferences in Kiev on future wartime strategy.

“In general, the development of European policy for the near future should be joint and coordinated and directly support our partnership in Europe and the Euro-Atlantic region,” said Zelensky. “Just as global affairs are in decline without a strong America, so without a strong Europe stability is simply impossible for European nations.”

After Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election in the United States, his government must fear that US military support could drastically decrease or even be stopped. Since the start of the war in February 2022, the USA, with its arms deliveries and financial aid to Ukraine, has been its most important ally in the fight against the Russian invasion. Selenskyj’s initial contacts with Trump in the past few days did not initially indicate a clear line from the future US president after his swearing in in January next year.

After the Russian attack, outgoing US President Joe Biden always reiterated that Ukraine would be helped to fend off the neighboring country’s aggression for as long as necessary. Trump, however, announced a quick end to the war. Since the Republican has not yet explained how he plans to achieve this, there are fears that he could make significant concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin despite the war of aggression ordered by the Kremlin.

Musk present during Zelensky’s phone call with Trump

In addition to the support of probably the most powerful man in the world, that of the richest person is also important for Zelensky. After the Russian invasion, Elon Musk’s company SpaceX equipped Ukrainian troops with terminals for the Starlink satellite communications system it developed to replace the cellular infrastructure destroyed by the attackers. Now, according to media reports, the tech billionaire was also present during Zelensky’s phone call with Trump.

Musk assured the Ukrainian president that the Starlink system would continue to be usable for Ukraine, wrote the US news site Axios. According to the New York Times, the US President-elect handed the phone over to Musk, who was staying at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property. The Wall Street Journal wrote that Musk’s participation in the call was not planned – but he came into the room while Trump and Zelensky were speaking.

Axios wrote, citing informed sources, that Zelensky had the overall feeling that the conversation with Trump and Musk had gone well for Ukraine. The phone call “didn’t leave the Ukrainian president with a feeling of desperation.”

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, also had a telephone conversation on Thursday – with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. According to a spokesman for Blinken, the conversation was about coordinating further steps in supporting Ukraine – with the aim of paving the country a path to victory. The support of the Russian armed forces by soldiers from North Korea was also discussed, it was said.

Speculation about Putin’s next steps

After Trump’s election victory, Kremlin leader Putin sent contradictory signals about his future course of war, according to the business magazine “The Economist”, which, according to informed circles, ranged from willingness to negotiate to the forced surrender of Ukraine. However, a quick path to peace is unlikely, it said, citing those around Putin. Ukrainian military officials expected the war of aggression to continue because Russia believed it was on the winning track.

New fighting is shaking eastern Ukraine

Meanwhile, Russian attackers and Ukrainian defenders continue to engage in heavy fighting along the fronts in eastern Ukraine. According to the General Staff in Kiev, there were 114 Russian attacks on Friday. “The enemy is using all available forces and means to achieve its goals,” the army leadership stated in its situation report. “The defense forces act professionally and efficiently and inflict significant losses on the enemy.”

According to the information, the hotspots were once again the regions around Pokrovsk and Kurachowe, where Russian units tried to break through the Ukrainian defense lines. Fierce fighting continued in the other sections. A precise overview from an independent source was not possible.

There were also renewed air strikes on Ukrainian cities during the night. According to the city council, several high-rise buildings, warehouses and administrative buildings were damaged and cars were set on fire in the port city of Odessa. There were also explosions and damage to civilian infrastructure in the city of Kharkiv, as Mayor Ihor Terekhov announced on his Telegram channel.

Washington allows defense personnel to work in Ukraine

To support the defenders, the US government is allowing a “small number” of US defense companies to deploy personnel in Ukraine. The tender for these orders is currently underway, a representative of the Ministry of Defense in Washington confirmed to the German Press Agency. “These contractors will be far from the front lines and will not fight against Russian forces,” he stressed. “They will help the Ukrainian armed forces quickly repair and maintain U.S.-supplied equipment as needed so that it can be quickly returned to the front lines.”

He explained that certain weapons systems – such as F-16 fighter jets and Patriot air defense systems – required special technical expertise. The Pentagon made the decision “after a careful risk assessment and in coordination with the agencies involved.”