Renewed peace talks could pave way for Putin-Zelenskyy summit: US official

As we’ve reported, US-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are expected to pick up again in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

A US official cited by the Reuters news agency said those talks could help lead to a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.

“Those sorts of meetings have to happen, in our view, before we get a bilateral between Putin and Zelenskyy, or a ⁠trilateral with Putin, Zelenskyy and President Trump,” said the official, who spoke to the agency on condition of anonymity. “But I don’t think we’re so far away from that.”

‘True solidarity’: Ukraine’s FM thanks Czech Republic for sending energy supplies

An initiative in the Czech Republic has raised $3.8m to send energy supplies to Ukraine in just a few days, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

In a Facebook post, Sybiha thanked “all Czech friends of Ukraine for their concrete and effective support”.

He added that next week, 49 generators and 40 battery power stations will be put to use in Kyiv and Kharkiv regions with the support of Czech organisations.

“This is an example of true solidarity,” Sybiha said. “Czechia shows that support for Ukraine is not just words, but concrete actions that save lives and strengthen our resilience.”

‘These explosions, these sleepless nights’

More than a million people in Kyiv and Chernihiv were left without electricity in sub-zero temperatures due to Russian strikes.

About half of Kyiv’s apartment blocks were cut off from heating, Ukrainian authorities said.

“This night in Kyiv, it’s really all happening again and again,” Iryna Berehova, 48, told the AFP news agency.

“These explosions, these sleepless nights, these worries for our children, for our safety, they are very exhausting.”

On the first round of trilateral talks that concluded earlier today, Berehova said, “Don’t even give us any hope for the better.”