Zelensky warns Russia could exploit US midterms to launch massive attack

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russia could use Tuesday’s midterm elections in the U.S. to launch a massive attack against Ukraine.

“We have intel that Russia is preparing a new massive attack on our country – primarily targeting energy and logistics,” he wrote in a statement on social media . “The assumption is basically that tomorrow the world will be watching the American midterms, and what is happening here in Ukraine, along with our difficulties with air defense and Patriot missiles, will be overlooked.”

He renewed his calls for the U.S. and other countries to make Russia “feel that terror is no good,” adding “we must not play games with Russia’s oil or gas revenue.”

“We must put pressure on Russia in such a way that it has no alternative but to end this war. America can do this,” he concluded.

The statement appeared alongside a video of Zelensky describing recent Russian attacks on a humanitarian site in Ukraine that reportedly killed 34 people, with some victims still stuck under the rubble.

He added that air raid sirens were playing in Kyiv as the city braces for potential missile fire.

This comes after first lady Melania Trump announced a localized ceasefire between the European countries in and around Oleshky — a town occupied by Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Ukrainian officials accused Russia of using the ceasefire to bring in new troops, strengthen its military positions, add in more antidrone defenses on roads and send more ammunition to the area, according to multiple outlets .

The ceasefire ended on Sunday, with the first lady calling it a “success,” touting on social media that it enabled “the evacuation of nearly 800 people.”

Three-way peace negotiations between the U.S., Ukraine and Russia are slated for later this month in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.