Russia targets Ukraine's energy as trilateral talks loom

"Lacking battlefield successes, Moscow is hitting Ukraine's energy facilities to force territorial concessions. As the presidents of Ukraine, Russia and the United States prepare to hold their first trilateral meeting to end Russia's war in Ukraine this weekend, almost half of Ukraine is without electricity and heat in sub-zero temperatures, following repeated Russian drone strikes targeting energy infrastructure. The strikes appeared designed to break Ukrainian resistance at the negotiating table on territorial concessions to Russia"

"Following those talks on Thursday, Zelenskyy said security guarantees had been agreed, and the next step would be the trilateral meeting starting today in Abu Dhabi and including Russia's Vladimir Putin. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said negotiations have so far resolved all but one issue, without specifying what that was. But Zelenskyy told reporters in Davos it was the territorial issue."

"Russia wants Ukraine to cede the one-fifth of the eastern Donetsk region that it has not already seized. A poll this week by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) found that 54 percent of Ukrainians agreed with Zelenskyy in steadfastly refusing to do this, while another 39 percent reluctantly backed the concession in return for very strong security guarantees."

Russia has targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure with repeated drone strikes, leaving almost half the country without electricity and heat in sub-zero temperatures. The strikes aim to pressure Ukraine into territorial concessions as trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States convene to seek security guarantees. Ukrainian leadership says security guarantees were agreed but the territorial question remains unresolved. A KIIS poll found a majority of Ukrainians oppose ceding territory, though a sizable minority would accept concessions for strong guarantees. Russia has amplified claims of battlefield gains, which independent geolocation estimates dispute.

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