Donald Trump has claimed to have stopped multiple wars during his second term as U.S. president and has also boasted about progress in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Addressing reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said, “I think we’re doing very well with Ukraine and Russia.”
He then added, “For the first time, I’m saying that. I think we’re going to, maybe, have some good news.” Beyond Trump’s claims, as The Independent reported, “Officials told The Financial Times that Volodymyr Zelenskyy has agreed to a coordinated military response from the US and Europe if Russia violates the terms of the agreement.”
As per the proposal, if Russia violates the agreement, a response would be prompted within 24 hours. Moreover, envoys from Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington will meet for trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Thursday with the aim of putting an end to the war.
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While Trump’s words and the updates sounded hopeful, Ukraine was struck again by Russia within hours and on the eve of the peace talks. Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, its second-largest city of Kharkiv, and other centers were attacked by Russian forces in the early hours of Tuesday, officials said.
The attacks triggered fires at energy infrastructure. Four people have been injured, authorities said, in the two largest cities. The attacks happened at night in Kyiv, where nighttime temperatures dipped close to minus 20C (minus 4F), and witnesses reported loud explosions after midnight, saying missiles and drones were being deployed.
Five districts were damaged by the strikes. They hit three apartment blocks and a building housing a kindergarten, the city’s military administration chief, Tymur Tkachenko, said on Telegram. Flames consumed an apartment on the upper floors of a Kyiv block in videos posted on social media, as The Guardian reported.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the Russian attacks targeted energy infrastructure and called for strict action to ensure that heating systems do not freeze in the extreme cold. Taking to Telegram, he said, “The goal is obvious: to cause maximum destruction and leave the city without heat in severe cold.” Power in two towns in the Kharkiv region, Izium and Balakliia, has been knocked out, as public broadcaster Suspilne confirmed.
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It should be noted that the attacks appeared to clash with talks of a ceasefire agreement on energy infrastructure adopted by both Russia and Ukraine at the request of the U.S. Russia, however, claimed that the ceasefire ended on Sunday, while Ukraine said it was to continue for a month from Jan. 30.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had largely followed through on the ceasefire deal and that there had been no targeted missile or drone attacks on energy facilities in the past 24 hours. However, he added that Russian shelling had continued to hit energy facilities near the frontline.
With new Russian attacks hitting major parts of Ukraine, it remains to be seen what kind of response will come from the U.S. and how Russia will react to Ukraine receiving assistance from the U.S. and Europe—moves Moscow would view as foreign intervention, according to the country’s Foreign Ministry.
