Russian Strikes On Ukraine Test Diplomacy As US Congress Presses For Action

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Kremlin’s resumption of its campaign of air strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ignited a firestorm of bipartisan calls on Capitol Hill for immediate action to support Kyiv, but a more measured response from the White House.

The strikes on February 3 came just days before US-facilitated negotiations were set to resume, underscoring what lawmakers and Ukrainian officials described as a familiar Kremlin tactic: using diplomacy to buy time while ratcheting up strikes in what is already Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War II.

Overnight barrages struck energy infrastructure across multiple regions, knocking out heat and electricity during one of the coldest winter.

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Ukrainian officials said the attacks left cities freezing and reinforced concerns in Washington that negotiations without enforcement mechanisms risk emboldening Moscow rather than restraining it.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump was not surprised by the renewed attacks, describing the collapse of the informal pause in strikes as predictable.

Leavitt noted that Russia’s limited commitment to halt attacks on energy targets had expired earlier this month, and that Moscow had never pledged a broader cessation of hostilities.

She framed the development as consistent with Trump’s longstanding view that Russia responds only to strength, not goodwill.

"His reaction was, unfortunately, unsurprised. These are two countries who have been engaged in a very brutal war for several years," she said, referring to Trump's reaction.

Privately, administration officials described expectations for the upcoming talks -- expected to include US envoy Steve Witkoff -- as deliberately restrained, emphasizing that the focus is now on testing whether Russia will accept any meaningful constraints on its conduct.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy framed the timing of the strikes as deliberate, accusing Moscow of using the pause "not to support diplomacy, but to stockpile missiles and wait until the coldest days of the year, when temperatures across large parts of Ukraine drop below -20°C."

"This speaks volumes about Russia's promises. If their word doesn't hold even now, what can be expected next," Zelenskyy said.

"They're incorrigible in Moscow—trying to take advantage of the cold, because they cannot subdue Ukraine through assaults. Russia’s bet on war must receive a response."

That argument was reinforced in Washington by Ukrainian Ambassador Olga Stefanishyna, who addressed US lawmakers and advocates during the opening of Ukraine Week 2026 on Tuesday.

She described the assault as Russia’s clearest possible answer to the question confronting diplomats.

Engagement, she said, is possible – but trust is not. Negotiations, she argued, have not moderated Moscow’s behavior, nor reduced the scale of violence.

Stefanishyna stressed that ending the fighting cannot come at the expense of accountability, warning that a settlement without justice would only freeze the conflict rather than resolve it.

With bipartisan Ukraine legislation pending in both chambers, she urged Congress to move from statements to action and called on Ukrainian-American communities nationwide to press lawmakers to force a vote.

On Capitol Hill, lawmakers from both parties said the strikes erased any lingering doubt about Moscow’s intentions.

Members of the bipartisan Congressional Ukraine Caucus gathered to launch Ukraine Week 2026, joined by Ukrainian officials, veterans, faith leaders, and families of Americans killed fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), the caucus’ co-chair, said Russia’s strategy is now unmistakable: targeting civilians and energy infrastructure to weaponize cold and darkness.

She cited testimony showing that more than 80 percent of Ukraine’s thermal power generation has been destroyed, leaving millions without heat.

“This is a humanitarian catastrophe,” Kaptur said, arguing that Moscow is exploiting delays and procedural gridlock in Washington.

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), the caucus’ Republican co-chair, cast the war as a broader contest between democracies governed by law and authoritarian regimes ruled by force, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of using negotiations to regroup militarily.

He said Putin understands only strength and warned that diplomacy unsupported by pressure invites further aggression.

That pressure now converges on a single procedural hurdle.

House Democrats have gathered 217 signatures on a discharge petition to force a floor vote on the bipartisan Ukraine Support Act, which would impose new sanctions and unlock billions in security assistance. One additional signature would compel immediate action.

As negotiators prepare to reconvene abroad and winter deepens in Ukraine, diplomacy continues. But patience on Capitol Hill is wearing thin.

With missiles falling, civilians freezing, and a single signature standing between engagement and enforcement, lawmakers said the math -- and the moment -- is becoming impossible to ignore.