Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that he is negotiating with Russia for another large-scale prisoner-of-war exchange. The goal is the return of up to 1 200 Ukrainians, with Turkey and the United Arab Emirates mediating the negotiations. Moscow has not yet provided a response, CBS reports.

At the same time, Zelensky stressed that Ukraine is making every effort to resume negotiations that could help end the war.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said shortly before that a ceasefire by spring was unlikely. In his view, Europe will need the mythical "Finnish sisu" - determination and endurance to cope with the cold and Russian attacks.

Stubb, who has a relatively close relationship with Donald Trump, is trying to convey Europe's and Ukraine's point of view to the American ex-president. He sees security guarantees, the reconstruction of Ukraine and the resolution of territorial issues as the keys to a ceasefire. He proposes using frozen Russian assets to benefit Ukraine, while stepping up military pressure on the Kremlin. He praised US sanctions against Russian oil giants, but called for further measures to allow Kiev to attack Russian military industry.

Russia continues to attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure, with drones damaging a solar power plant in Odessa. Ukrainian forces have in turn hit a refinery in Samara, Russia, and a drone depot in the Donbas.

(sie)