Ukrainian and U.S. officials met with Russian military representatives in Abu Dhabi Jan. 23-24 on terms to bring Moscow’s nearly four-year-long war on Ukraine to an end. At the same time, the Kremlin launched over 370 attack drones and 21 missiles at several Ukrainian cities, trying to cut off water and heat in an ongoing effort to conquer the country and its people.
The discussions began on a draft proposal by President Donald Trump and his envoys. It drew heavy criticism in Ukraine and from governments in Europe for echoing Moscow’s demands. Aspects of other drafts, with input from Ukrainian officials, were opposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
One stumbling block was the proposed deployment of troops to Ukraine from France and the U.K. after the war ends.
Putin insists any settlement must mean Ukraine giving up remaining territory in the Donbas mining and industrial region that Ukrainian forces are fighting hard to defend.
The barrier to a deal is “all about the land,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the press.
Ukrainian forces control about a quarter of Donetsk, a heavily fortified western area that forms a bulwark of defense against Moscow’s invasion. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have sacrificed their lives or limbs defending this territory over the past four years. Handing it over to Putin would be unacceptable to working people in Ukraine.
Putin has said that if he doesn’t get what he wants through talks, his regime’s forces will achieve his goals on the battlefield. But Moscow’s offensive has been slow to make serious advances over the past couple of years, while Russian soldiers have faced staggering losses. Some 30,000 soldiers were killed or wounded in December alone — with Ukrainian forces losing just one soldier for every 25 Russian troops.
The disproportion is a result of Putin’s disregard for the lives of Russia’s workers in uniform, as well as the increasing military skills acquired by Ukrainian forces and advances made in their drone warfare.
The Kremlin’s aerial strikes are systematically targeting civilian areas and power infrastructure across Ukraine. More than 1,300 attack drones, over a thousand guided glide bombs, and 29 missiles were launched in one week in January, leaving hundreds of thousands without power and freezing in their homes.
Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, says 600,000 people left the capital in January.
In an act of solidarity, neighboring Poland is taking a collection aiming to raise 2 million zloty ($500,000) to provide heaters and generators to Ukraine.
Energy and maintenance workers, some from as far away as Odesa and Lviv, have come to Kyiv, moving from building to building to repair damaged heating pipes. Teams have also come from the state train system, while other rail workers volunteer at the front.
“Many skilled workers are fighting. Well, we’ll just help as much as we can,” rail worker volunteer Andrii Karataiev told the Euromaidan Press.