Zelenskyy speaks to US envoys amid Trump spat

KYIV: Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the midst of his spat with Donald Trump Sunday (Oct 18), saying "a lot depends on America" as he earlier warned Washington not to side with Moscow in Europe's worst conflict since WWII.

The wartime leader spoke to the US officials as both Russia and Ukraine hit each other's energy sites, with Moscow leaving thousands without power and Kyiv carrying out the largest drone attack on Saint Petersburg since the start of the 2022 war. 

Trump and Zelenskyy have clashed as the US leader blocked new sanctions on Russia and struck a diesel deal with Moscow, fuelling fears in Kyiv and Europe that the White House was steering towards Moscow.  

After speaking to Trump's business partner Witkoff and son-in-law Kushner, Zelenskyy said "a lot depends" on the US position in the war but that "it is clear that there are many things that matter to all of us and that this war must be brought to an end." 

Ukraine, he said, was ready to work "constructively" and "honestly" and that: "We expect exactly this approach from all our partners, both from the Europeans and, of course, from the American side." 

He said he discussed deliveries of US Patriot air defence systems, as Kyiv struggles to counter Russian missiles.  

Zelenskyy earlier told US media NBC it would be a "historic mistake" if Washington formally supported Russia and that he hoped Trump would "change his decisions."  

But he also said he was "thankful" the US resumed intelligence sharing after a pause that left his country vulnerable to Russian missile strikes.  

A US-led push to end the Ukraine-Russia war has so far not led to a breakthrough and Trump has in the past grown frustrated with both Zelenskyy and Russia's Vladimir Putin because of their lack of progress.

Zelenskyy spoke to the American officials as he accused Moscow of breaking Trump's "energy ceasefire" 76 times and warning Moscow planned to deprive Ukrainians of heat and electricity before winter.

Russian strikes left "tens of thousands" without power in several regions, he said, with Ukrainian officials reporting three people had been killed.

Ukraine's army launched drones at Putin's hometown of Saint Petersburg on Sunday night, setting an oil refinery ablaze and killing one person, Moscow said.

'Dreadful routine of war'

Rising smoke was visible from Saint Petersburg's historic city centre on the banks of the Neva River, with Russia saying Ukraine struck an oil refinery and depot in night-time strikes that killed one person.

Saint Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said one person was killed and five hospitalised in the city.

Authorities were fighting fires at the Saint Petersburg oil terminal, the Ruchyi oil depot and industrial warehouses, he said.  

Russia's VKontakte social network said its data centre was hit and Ozon, Russia's second largest retailer, also reported a hit on its logistics centre.

The head of the wider Leningrad region, Alexander Drozdenko, said air defence shot down 144 Ukrainian drones, with state media saying this was the largest attack on the city since the start of the 2022 war.

The Kremlin, however, said Ukrainian attacks on its cities will not change its war aims.

"The Kyiv regime is putting up a fight, but that cannot change the course of events," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media.

Putin has repeatedly said Moscow intends to seize the rest of eastern Ukraine and, in a fifth year of war, few see a way out of the conflict.   

"There's a general feeling: they're attacking, we're attacking, it's become the dreadful routine of war," 58-year-old Galina told AFP in Saint Petersburg. 

'Getting on my nerves'

Moscow has rained drones and missiles on Ukrainian cities daily and Kyiv says its strikes are fair retribution.

Sergei, another Saint Petersburg resident who is also 58, said he felt his apartment block shake and quickly realised it was a drone attack.

"I don't know if I was scared, what must be will be," he told AFP.

"My main thought was that petrol would run out at the petrol stations and I'd better fill up."

Ukrainian strikes caused nationwide fuel shortages in Russia earlier this year.

Leningrad governor Drozdenko said 20,000 people were without power in the town of Yanino, where a substation was hit.

He said a woman and three children were hospitalised "with symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning" in the region after drone debris fell on a house, causing a fire.

"I woke up at night, heard bangs, looked out of the window and there was a fire," 40-year-old Saint Petersburg resident Igor told AFP. 

"They're getting on my nerves already," he added, referring to Ukraine.