At trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, US representatives proposed returning to an energy ceasefire. President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Saturday, February 7. Kyiv agreed to the proposal, he said, while Moscow has yet to respond. The Russian side had not commented at the time of publication.
Zelensky said Russia typically responds to such initiatives only after its negotiators return to Moscow.
Talks among delegations from Ukraine, Russia and the United States took place in the UAE capital on February 4–5 behind closed doors. Kyiv described the meeting as difficult but constructive. According to TASS, Russian participants reported progress on a peace deal with Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the list of unresolved issues had “shrunk significantly,” but “the most difficult” remain. The future of Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian forces is still unclear.
The United States proposed that the negotiating teams from both countries meet in Miami next week, Zelensky said. Ukraine confirmed it will participate. Russian representatives have not yet commented.
Russia has long targeted the neighboring country’s energy infrastructure. On January 29, US President Donald Trump said that after his personal appeal, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to stop shelling Ukrainian cities for the next seven days amid freezing temperatures.
Zelensky confirmed there was an arrangement with Russia on a temporary halt to strikes on energy infrastructure, but clarified there was no direct dialogue with Moscow. Hundreds of thousands of Kyiv residents remain without electricity and heat, and until recently temperatures stayed below minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Overnight on February 2, Russia resumed strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and in preceding days attacked the country with hundreds of drones and several Iskander-M missiles. However, on February 3, Trump said the Kremlin leader had allegedly kept his word on the energy ceasefire.
