Overview
- President Volodymyr Zelensky said he accepted Washington’s invitation for a new round of negotiations that could be held in the United States on 17 or 18 February, following earlier closed-door sessions in Abu Dhabi focused on ceasefire enforcement.
- Zelensky said Ukraine received no response from Moscow to a proposed energy-infrastructure pause and instead registered drone and rocket strikes, suggesting Russia is not ready to agree to the ‘energy ceasefire.’
- MFA spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Kyiv of relying on rearmament rather than dialogue and of intensifying rocket‑drone attacks during negotiation periods, citing the attempt on Lt‑Gen Vladimir Alekseev as evidence of efforts to derail talks.
- Local security updates underscored ongoing tensions: Sevastopol lifted an air‑raid alert after reporting two aerial targets downed, an armored ambulance near Svatovo in the Luhansk region was hit by a hostile UAV with three wounded, and Russia’s Penza region activated the ‘Kover’ plan restricting aircraft movements.
- Moscow highlighted diplomatic and economic positioning, with Sergey Lavrov pledging MFA help to facilitate international observers for State Duma elections in Crimea, Sevastopol and other annexed regions, and the MFA saying Western firms seeking to return will be assessed case by case in Russia’s interests.