Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed on Sunday that upcoming negotiations involving Ukraine, the United States, and Russia are slated for this week. This development comes as Kyiv seeks meaningful steps towards peace, even as Moscow escalates its attacks across Ukraine.
Via a post on X, Zelenskyy indicated that these talks are set for Wednesday and Thursday in Abu Dhabi.
“Ukraine is open to a detailed dialogue, aiming for results that edge us closer to a just and honorable resolution of the conflict,” Zelenskyy expressed.
This news emerges amid intensified Russian assaults targeting Ukraine’s energy and transportation infrastructure, as the country grapples with plunging winter temperatures that exacerbate the hardships faced by civilians.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine addressed the media alongside Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Polish President Karol Nawrocki at the Presidential Palace in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Sunday, January 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia has persistently attacked power, heating, and water systems throughout the nearly four-year conflict. Kyiv characterizes this as a strategy to exploit the harsh winter as a tool of warfare against its civilian population.
An elderly man looks out from his damaged balcony after a Russian attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)
Authorities warned that Ukraine is facing one of its coldest stretches of the season, with temperatures in some areas expected to fall as low as minus-22 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
President Donald Trump said late last week that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to temporarily halt strikes on Kyiv and other cities amid the extreme cold.
“I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week during this … extraordinary cold,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, adding that Putin had “agreed to that.”
The White House has not provided details on the timing or scope of the pause, and Ukrainian officials have expressed skepticism about Russia’s intentions.
Zelenskyy said Thursday that key obstacles to a peace agreement remain unresolved, including the future of occupied Ukrainian territory and Moscow’s demands for land it has not captured.
Firefighters work at the site of a private enterprise hit by an overnight Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, January 30, 2026. (Reuters)
Russia struck Ukrainian energy facilities in several regions on Thursday, Zelenskyy said, though he noted that no such strikes occurred overnight. He added that Russian drones and missiles have continued to hit residential areas and logistics hubs across Ukraine.
Trump has described Putin’s acceptance of a pause as a concession, but Zelenskyy questioned whether Moscow is genuinely interested in ending the war as the invasion approaches its fourth anniversary on Feb. 24.
“I do not believe that Russia wants to end the war. There is a great deal of evidence to the contrary,” Zelenskyy said Thursday.
