Fragile Truce: Ukraine and Russia Announce Halts on Energy Infrastructure Attacks Amid Lingering Doubts
In a development offering a glimmer of hope amidst the protracted conflict, both Russia and Ukraine announced on Friday a cessation of strikes targeting each other’s vital energy infrastructure. However, the announcement was immediately shadowed by discrepancies regarding the duration of this moratorium and a palpable uncertainty surrounding the future trajectory of peace negotiations aimed at resolving the nearly four-year-old war. The Kremlin asserted that it had acceded to a personal appeal from U.S. President Donald Trump to suspend attacks on energy facilities, which have repeatedly plunged hundreds of Kyiv’s apartment buildings into darkness and cold. Yet, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that this pause was slated to conclude by Sunday, a timeframe significantly shorter than proposed by the Ukrainian side.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy corroborated that Russia had conducted minimal strikes on energy infrastructure in the preceding 24 hours. Nevertheless, he, alongside Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, cautioned that Moscow appeared to be strategically shifting its focus. Their reports suggested a redirection of attacks towards critical logistical hubs, with a particular emphasis on rail junctions, signaling a potential escalation in a different, yet equally disruptive, domain of the conflict. President Zelenskyy articulated that the moratorium on energy infrastructure strikes had officially commenced on Friday at midnight and was intended to last for a full week. He also stressed that no formal ceasefire agreement was in place between the two nations, a critical distinction as the Ukrainian capital braced for a severe cold snap forecast to begin on Sunday.
“In all our regions, there were indeed no strikes on energy facilities from Thursday night to Friday,” President Zelenskyy stated during his customary nightly video address, underscoring the immediate impact of the agreement. “Ukraine is ready in reciprocal terms to refrain from strikes, and today we did not strike at Russian energy facilities.” This reciprocal commitment was crucial for establishing a basis for de-escalation. Conversely, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko provided a stark assessment of Russia’s continued military activities, reporting that in the past 24 hours alone, Russia had launched seven drone attacks specifically targeting railway facilities. This highlights the ongoing duality of the situation: a de-escalation in one area juxtaposed with continued aggression in another.
The Kremlin’s official statement detailed that President Vladimir Putin had agreed to President Trump’s request to cease bombardments of Kyiv, framing this as an effort to foster “favorable conditions” for ongoing peace talks. This direct intervention by the U.S. President marked a significant diplomatic maneuver, aiming to create a conducive environment for dialogue. The recent weeks had seen a relentless barrage of Russian strikes on Kyiv’s energy infrastructure, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents without essential heating for extended periods, often amidst temperatures plummeting below minus 15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit). The humanitarian toll of these attacks had been severe, exacerbating the already harsh winter conditions.
President Zelenskyy further elaborated on the lingering impact of these attacks, revealing that as of Friday, 378 residential high-rise buildings remained without heating. This precarious situation was set to worsen, with weather forecasters predicting a further plunge in temperatures in the Ukrainian capital from Sunday, potentially reaching as low as minus 26 degrees Celsius. The urgency of restoring heating and power was thus paramount. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in confirming President Putin’s agreement, stated, “President Trump did indeed make a personal request to President Putin to refrain from striking Kyiv for a week until February 1 in order to create favorable conditions for negotiations.” This statement, while confirming the agreement, also clearly defined the limited duration of the requested pause from the Russian perspective.
In a separate briefing that shed light on another critical aspect of Ukraine’s defense capabilities, President Zelenskyy revealed that Ukrainian air defenses had been significantly depleted. This vulnerability, he explained, was a consequence of delays in payments from Ukraine’s European allies to the United States under the PURL weapons purchase program. As a direct result of these payment delays, a crucial shipment of U.S. Patriot air defense missiles had not arrived in time to counter the intense Russian airstrikes that had recently crippled power across large swathes of Kyiv. This revelation underscored the complex web of international military aid and its impact on Ukraine’s immediate defensive needs.
Despite these diplomatic overtures and the temporary halt on energy strikes, the broader diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive end to the war have yielded no tangible breakthroughs. President Zelenskyy identified two primary and deeply entrenched sticking points that remained unresolved in the negotiations. The first was Russia’s persistent demand for Ukraine to cede the entirety of the Donbas region, a territory that has been the epicenter of the conflict for years. The second, equally contentious issue, was Russia’s insistence on maintaining control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is the largest in Europe and a site of significant strategic and safety concerns. These territorial and strategic demands represented fundamental challenges to any potential peace settlement.
NEXT DIPLOMATIC MEETING AND UNCERTAINTIES
Adding to the prevailing uncertainty, President Zelenskyy expressed his ignorance regarding the precise timing of the next meeting between Russian, Ukrainian, and U.S. negotiators. This crucial trilateral meeting, originally slated to convene on Sunday in the United Arab Emirates, now faced an ambiguous future. “The date or the location may change – because, in our view, something is happening in the situation between the United States and Iran. And those developments could likely affect the timing,” President Zelenskyy explained, hinting at potential geopolitical ripple effects that could influence the diplomatic schedule. This statement highlighted the interconnectedness of international relations and how events in one region could impact crucial peace processes elsewhere.
Concurrently, in Moscow, sources speaking to Reuters indicated that Kirill Dmitriev, President Putin’s special envoy, was scheduled to travel to Miami on Saturday. His itinerary included meetings with members of President Trump’s administration, suggesting a continued direct engagement between Russian and American representatives outside of the formal trilateral negotiation framework. This parallel diplomatic track underscored the significant role the U.S. President was playing in attempting to mediate the conflict.
Back in Kyiv, a palpable sense of skepticism permeated the city’s residents regarding the sustainability of the energy truce. Many expressed doubts that the temporary halt in attacks would translate into any lasting improvement in their daily lives. “I trust neither Putin nor Trump, so I think that even if he (Putin) complies now, he will stockpile missiles and will still keep firing,” said Kostiantyn, a 61-year-old Kyiv pensioner who declined to provide his surname. His sentiment reflected a widespread feeling of war-weariness and a deep-seated distrust of Russian intentions. “Putin’s goal is the destruction of Ukraine, and all we can do is resist,” he added, encapsulating the resilient spirit of many Ukrainians facing continued adversity.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that in its most recent overnight attacks, Russia had launched a ballistic missile and a staggering 111 drones targeting various locations across Ukraine. President Zelenskyy noted that the ballistic missile had caused damage to warehouses belonging to the U.S. company Philip Morris in the northeastern Kharkiv region, illustrating the wide-ranging and indiscriminate nature of some Russian strikes. This detailed account of ongoing aerial assaults underscored the stark reality that the cessation of energy infrastructure attacks did not signify an end to hostilities.
The tentative moves towards a ceasefire in the energy sector arrive at a particularly critical juncture in the conflict. Russian forces are currently engaged in a grinding offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, characterized by relentless advances. Simultaneously, Moscow continues to deploy hundreds of drones in near-daily attacks that target Ukrainian towns and cities far removed from the front lines, creating a pervasive sense of insecurity across the nation. This multi-pronged Russian strategy aimed to exert pressure on multiple fronts, both militarily and psychologically.
President Putin’s unwavering demand for Ukraine to surrender the approximately 20% of the Donetsk Region that it still controls – a territory spanning roughly 5,000 square kilometers (1,900 square miles) – has consistently proven to be the most significant stumbling block to any comprehensive settlement. President Zelenskyy has unequivocally ruled out relinquishing any territory that Ukraine has shed blood to defend, framing it as a matter of national sovereignty and territorial integrity. This irreconcilable difference on territorial claims remained a fundamental obstacle to peace.
Adding another layer of complexity to the diplomatic landscape, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had stated on Wednesday that key U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who had participated in the previous round of talks, would not be attending the scheduled meeting this weekend in Abu Dhabi. This absence of high-profile negotiators raised further questions about the momentum and potential outcomes of the upcoming discussions. U.S. officials, while acknowledging that some headway had been made at the previous weekend’s talks, offered no specific details regarding the nature of these advancements. Both Russia and Ukraine, in their respective assessments, confirmed that no significant signs of compromise had emerged on the critical issue of territory, leaving the path to peace fraught with formidable challenges.
© Thomson Reuters 2026.
