Russian Strikes on Ukraine’s Energy Threaten Trilateral Peace Talks |
Understanding the conflict three years on.
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at a new round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks, significant democratic backsliding in the United States, and deadly Israeli strikes in Gaza.
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators kicked off a second round of U.S.-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday. Both sides described initial conversations as productive, without elaborating on any specific progress made. But with the two-day meeting beginning just hours after Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine’s energy grid, European officials are accusing Moscow of lacking sincerity in its efforts to end the war.
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at a new round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks, significant democratic backsliding in the United States, and deadly Israeli strikes in Gaza.
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Ukrainian and Russian negotiators kicked off a second round of U.S.-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday. Both sides described initial conversations as productive, without elaborating on any specific progress made. But with the two-day meeting beginning just hours after Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine’s energy grid, European officials are accusing Moscow of lacking sincerity in its efforts to end the war.
Last Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to halt strikes on Kyiv until Feb. 1, at the personal request of U.S. President Donald Trump. At the time, the White House claimed that the agreement was made to give Ukraine a reprieve during the region’s “extreme cold,” though the Kremlin did not cite weather as a factor.
However, after Russian forces resumed their assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of exploiting the brief halt to stockpile missiles. “Taking advantage of the coldest days of winter to terrorize people is more important to Russia........