War Against Russia

Political Scientist Sees “Darkest Moment” for Ukrainians

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17.10.2026 14:23
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Russia has expanded its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, more than 15 energy facilities were struck overnight into Saturday. At the same time, U.S. President Donald Trump is bolstering Russia by halting a new package of U.S. sanctions. Geopolitical expert Klemens Fischer views the latest developments in the war as “the darkest moment for Ukrainians.”

From the very beginning, Trump did not support Ukraine as much as Western nations would have liked. Now, however, he is acting even more radically. “He wants to try to quickly turn the midterms in his favor, and for that he needs an enemy as diesel and gasoline prices rise at American gas stations,” Fischer told Deutschlandfunk on Saturday, referring to the midterm elections on November 3 and the high energy costs resulting from the war with Iran that Trump had started with Israel.

U.S. President Donald Trump wants to get rid of his Ukrainian counterpart and is drawing even ...
U.S. President Donald Trump wants to get rid of his Ukrainian counterpart and is drawing even closer to Moscow. At the same time, the Ukrainians are having problems with the U.S. satellite communications system Starlink. Just a coincidence?(Bild: AFP/MANDEL NGAN)

The professor of international relations and geopolitics at the University of Cologne sees the Ukrainian head of state’s refusal in 2019 to provide Trump with evidence of allegedly questionable business dealings by Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, in Ukraine as the “root cause of the antipathy” toward Zelenskyy. 

“They can’t survive without U.S. data”
Even if Trump were to turn his attention back to Ukraine after the November midterm elections, the coming weeks could cause long-term damage, Fischer warned. Ukraine is nearly 100 percent dependent on the U.S. for its air defense. “Even when it comes to offensive operations deep within Russian territory, they can’t survive without American intelligence,” the expert explained.

While the civilian population continues to suffer, U.S. President Trump is easing sanctions ...
While the civilian population continues to suffer, U.S. President Trump is easing sanctions against Russia.(Bild: AP/Kateryna Klochko)

Regarding the debate over the scaling back of the U.S. satellite internet service Starlink, the political scientist noted: “If the Americans really do shut down Starshield (the military component of Starlink, ed.) in the next two or three weeks, and Ukraine is therefore less able to defend itself, this could lead to damage to Ukraine’s defenses that can no longer be fully compensated for.”

This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.

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