KYIV, UKRAINE — Russia is open to hearing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s proposals on ending the war, an official said, as a Russian drone killed one person and wounded 13 in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa and the European Union foreign policy chief held talks in Kyiv on support for Ukraine after the change in U.S. leadership. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow and Washington were “exchanging signals” regarding Ukraine via “closed channels.” He did not specify whether the communication was with the current administration or Trump and members of his incoming administration. Russia is ready to listen to Trump’s proposals on Ukraine provided these were “ideas on how to move forward in the area of settlement, and not in the area of further pumping the Kyiv regime with all kinds of aid,” Ryabkov said Saturday in an interview with Russian state news agency Interfax. Odesa regional Governor Oleh Kiper said high-rise residential buildings, private houses and warehouses in the Black Sea port city were damaged by the “fall” of a drone. He did not specify whether the drone had been shot down by air defenses. A further 32 Russian drones were shot down over 10 Ukrainian regions, while 18 were “lost,” according to Ukraine’s air force, likely having been electronically jammed. A Russian aerial bomb struck a busy highway overnight in the northeastern Kharkiv province, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekohov said. No casualties were reported. Russia is mounting an intensified aerial campaign that Ukrainian officials say they need more Western help to counter. However, doubts are deepening over what Kyiv can expect from a new U.S. administration. Trump has repeatedly taken issue with U.S. aid to Ukraine, made vague vows to end the war and has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, however, reassured Ukraine of European support during a visit to Kyiv on Saturday. “EU support to Ukraine has been my personal priority during my mandate and will remain on top of the EU’s agenda,” he wrote on social media platform X. In Russia, the Defense Ministry said 50 Ukrainian drones were destroyed over seven Russian regions — more than half over the Bryansk region, bordering Ukraine.
