The second round of trilateral talks between US, Russian and Ukrainian officials will be held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Wednesday and Thursday (February 4 and 5), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sunday.
The talks come as temperatures in Ukraine have dropped below freezing and the country's electricity supply is being disrupted by Russian attacks. In this critical situation, Ukrainian citizens are uncertain about how long a temporary "power truce" with Russia, which was put in place at the special request of US President Donald Trump, will last.
The United States is pressuring Kiev to end the four-year-old Russia-Ukraine war. The long war has severely damaged Ukraine's vital infrastructure. Russia has recently launched a new, massive attack on the country's electricity infrastructure, causing severe disruption to public life in the country this winter.
The first trilateral meeting of US, Russian and Ukrainian officials in Abu Dhabi late last month aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war. After the meeting, Ukraine said that there had been "productive" talks. However, there has been no progress on key issues such as territory. Russia still demands that Ukraine give up more territory from the war-torn east. But Kiev has rejected that.
In a post on social media today, Zelensky wrote, "Ready for effective talks on Ukraine. We want the results of the talks to lead to a real and dignified end to the war."
Efforts underway to repair power supply system
A new wave of severe cold is sweeping across Ukraine. In the capital, Kiev, 1,000 residential buildings still have no heating today, according to the city's mayor, Vitali Klitschko.
Today, the temperature in Kiev was close to minus 15 degrees Celsius. Last Saturday, a massive grid problem disrupted power supply to 3,500 high-rise buildings in the city. The workers of the relevant departments are having a busy time restoring power supply.
Officials say the ongoing power outages in the capital Kiev are not directly related to the war, but are indirectly linked to Russia's attacks in recent years. Power outages are also ongoing in neighboring Moldova.
Two days ago, the Russian presidential office said the Kremlin would suspend attacks on Ukrainian power infrastructure until Sunday (February 1) at the request of US President Donald Trump. However, Kiev said Russia had agreed to suspend attacks on Ukrainian power infrastructure until next Friday.
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