Ukraine reports preparations for Russian attacks, negotiations begin in Geneva

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian intelligence services have detected preparations for further massive Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. In an evening speech on Monday, he said that such attacks make it difficult to reach an agreement to end the nearly four-year war.

According to him, it is necessary to ensure that all air defense systems are properly configured. Zelensky said that Russian attacks are constantly evolving and combine drones and missiles, which requires special defense and support from partners, especially the United States.

"Russia cannot resist the temptation of the last days of winter and wants to hit Ukrainians hard," he said. "Partners must understand this. First and foremost, this applies to the United States."

Ukrainian, Russian, and American delegations are meeting in Geneva for the third round of US-mediated talks. For the first time, they are to focus on the issue of occupied Ukrainian territory. The head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, announced that the team is ready to discuss security and humanitarian issues.

The Russian delegation is led by Vladimir Medinsky, with Igor Kostyukov and Kirill Dmitriev also participating. According to statements, Moscow is demanding the surrender of the entire Donbas region. Previous negotiations in the United Arab Emirates resulted in an exchange of prisoners, without any broader progress.

(reuters, max)