Donald Trump Jr has shared a mocking video warning Volodymyr Zelensky that he will “lose his assignment” when his father returns to office, as fears grow in Ukraine about what a Trump presidency will mean for US support in the war against Russia .
This weekend saw the largest drone attacks by Russia and Ukraine since the war began, with the strikes hitting large areas of each country and hundreds of drones being shot down, including in the Moscow region .
Russian airstrikes have killed at least six people in southern Ukraine today, with missiles hitting homes and most of the country under airstrike alerts as bombers flew overhead.
The attacks have intensified amid expectations that Trump will pressure both sides to end the conflict, after the president-elect repeatedly said throughout his campaign that he could end the war “in one day,” without saying as.
Trump spoke to Vladimir Putin after his election victory last week and advised him not to escalate the war, a source familiar with the conversation said last night, as President Joe Biden is expected to urge Trump not to abandon kyiv.
The meme was shared by former Alaska governor Sarah Palin and reposted by Donald Trump Jr.
Trump Jr played a key role in his father’s election campaign and advocated for the selection of JD Vance as his vice presidential pick.
A rescuer works at the site of a Russian overnight attack in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, early Monday morning.
Rescuers work to extinguish a house fire following a drone attack in the village of Stanovoye, Moscow Region, on November 10.
The Republican and his supporters have been roundly critical of the magnitude of US military and financial support for kyiv, previously calling Zelensky “the biggest salesman on Earth.”
The United States has provided approximately $106 billion in aid directly to the kyiv government, a figure that includes military and financial aid as well as humanitarian support, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
On Saturday, Trump Jr shared a meme showing a solemn-looking Zelensky standing next to Trump as dollar bills fell around him, with the text on the clip reading: “Point of view: You’re 38 days away from losing your assignment.”
The clip was posted on Instagram by Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska, and refers to January 20, the day Trump will return to the White House as the 47th president.
Trump Jr also said over the weekend that there is no place in his father’s administration for “war hawks.”
The 46-year-old also played a key role in his father’s election campaign and advocated for the election of JD Vance as his vice presidential candidate.
Senator Vance told NBC last month that negotiation with Moscow is a “necessary part” of ending the war and has outlined plans that would allow Russia to keep territory it has seized in Ukraine.
Ukrainian firefighters respond to an artillery attack on November 10, 2024 in Pokrovsk, Ukraine.
A residential building hit by a Russian airstrike in Zaporizhzhia this morning
Air alerts howled across Ukraine early Monday as Russian strikes killed at least six people, a day after record drone strikes by both sides.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Vance opposed the Biden administration’s provision of billions of dollars in aid to kyiv.
“I have to be honest with you, I really don’t care what happens to Ukraine one way or another,” Vance said at the time.
Trump and Vance will take office on January 20 after defeating Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz in the presidential election.
Biden invited Trump to come to the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House said, and US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said they will talk about Ukraine.
Last week, Zelensky praised an “excellent call” with Trump after his election victory last week, saying they had agreed to “maintain a close dialogue and advance our cooperation.”
“Strong and unwavering American leadership is vital to the world and to a just peace,” he added.
Russia shot down 34 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow on November 10, 2024
Russian police officers inspect the remains of a drone next to a burned-out car in the courtyard of residential buildings after a drone attack in the village of Sofyino, Moscow region, on November 10.
A Russian police officer places caution tape at the site of a drone strike in the village of Stanovoye, Moscow Region, on November 10.
Both kyiv and Moscow have intensified their offensives as the war progresses, and Ukraine said today that Russia suffered a record number of daily losses: 1,770 in the last 24 hours.
Ukrainian figures suggest that Russia has lost 710,660 soldiers in total since the start of its large-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
However, Moscow is pressing ahead with its “meat attacks” and has reportedly massed a force of 50,000 troops, including North Korean troops, as it prepares to launch an attack aimed at recapturing territory captured by Ukraine in the region of Kursk.
Putin’s forces have been gradually recapturing territory in Kursk over the past few months, attacking Ukrainian positions with airstrikes and artillery, but have so far not carried out a major ground assault.
A photo provided by the Ukrainian National Police shows the site of a glider bomb attack in a residential area in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
Car damaged in glider bomb attack in Ukraine early this morning
Over the night from Saturday to Sunday, Russia fired 145 drones into Ukraine, according to Zelensky, more than any previous night strike during the conflict.
Russia also said it had shot down 34 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow on Sunday, the largest attempted attack on the capital since the start of the war in 2022.
Five people were killed in the southern city of Mykolaiv, according to the regional governor, while a sixth was killed in Zaporizhzhia in an attack that authorities said wounded more than a dozen.
“Five dead,” Mykolaiv Governor Vitaly Kim said early Monday on Telegram, revising the previous figure of four after an attack that set several residential buildings on fire.
About 300 kilometers (185 miles) to the east, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s state emergency services agency said Russia carried out three airstrikes that killed one man and damaged several buildings.
Zaporizhzhia Governor Ivan Fedorov said 18 people were injured, including five children.
“Boys aged 4, 16 and 17 and girls aged 15 and 17 have received the necessary medical assistance,” he stated.