(Dan Tri) - Russia and Ukraine "tit for tat" with large-scale missile and drone attacks to gain an advantage before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Fire rages at an oil depot for Russia's Engels air base after a major attack by Ukraine (Photo: X).
US President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to end the fighting quickly, but there have been few details on how he will achieve this. Meanwhile, Moscow and Kiev are seeking to gain ground on the battlefield ahead of potential talks brokered by Mr Trump.
On the night of January 13 and early morning of January 14, Ukraine carried out the largest ever attack using long-range ATACMS missiles and UAVs against Russian territory.
Ukraine's military said Russian military and oil facilities were targeted in its latest offensive, adding that such attacks would continue "until Russia stops its activities against Ukraine".
According to Russian military bloggers, Moscow shot down more than 200 Ukrainian UAVs and 5 ATACMS missiles.
A day later, Russia responded with a large-scale bombardment of Ukraine's energy sector.
According to Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia used more than 40 missiles and more than 70 UAVs in this attack. Of these, Ukrainian air defense systems successfully shot down 30 missiles.
"Another major Russian attack. It's the middle of winter and Russia's target is still our energy sector. The targets include gas infrastructure and energy facilities," Zelensky said.
The attack forced Ukraine's state energy company, Ukrenergo, to temporarily cut off power - a necessary measure to prevent the energy system from collapsing.
Retaliatory attacks by Russia and Ukraine have increased in both scale and frequency as the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump (January 20) approaches.
During the campaign, Mr. Trump claimed that he could end the three-year conflict in just 24 hours. However, he and his team have recently admitted that it could take months.
There have been signs of how the Trump team will resolve the conflict, but the plans are not yet clear. According to sources, Trump seems to be pursuing a plan to freeze the conflict, forcing Russia and Ukraine to make certain compromises.
During a Senate hearing on January 15, Mr. Marco Rubio, Mr. Trump's nominee for Secretary of State, said Russia and Ukraine need to make concessions to end the war.
“It is important for everyone to be realistic: there will have to be concessions, both from Russia and Ukraine. It is also important that there is a certain balance between the two sides,” he said.
According to him, it is difficult for Ukraine to completely restore its territory, while it is also difficult for Russia to conquer all of Ukraine.
He said both sides had leverage that could strengthen their positions in potential peace talks, stressing that the next US administration would pursue “bold diplomacy” to end the conflict.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nga-ukraine-tan-cong-du-doi-lan-nhau-truoc-ngay-ong-trump-nham-chuc-20250116080329464.htm
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