A Ukrainian firefighter battles a blaze after Russian strikes, January 24, 2026

EA-War and Politics 24 VideoCast: “Incompetent” Witkoff Amid Uncertainty and Concern Over Ukraine-Russia-US Talks

EA-CAI VideoCast: Watching Russia Fail in Ukraine

Thursday’s Coverage: Trump Envoy’s “Shocking” Lack of Knowledge

UPDATE 1423 GMT:

The Kremlin now says it was asked by Donald Trump to halt strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure only through Sunday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump made the request to Vladimir Putin “in order to create favorable conditions for negotiations”, in Sunday’s second round of talks of Abu Dhabi.

Trump said Putin agreed, in a phone call, “not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week”.

UPDATE 1330 GMT:

A bus driver has been murdered and five other civilians wounded by Russian shelling of Kherson city in southern Ukraine.

Around 12 p.m., Russian troops fired artillery. One of the shells hit the roadway and shrapnel damaged the bus.

Two of the injured are in critical condition, and three are moderately wounded.

UPDATE 1319 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia switched its missile and drone strikes from energy facilities to logistics infrastructure overnight.

He noted a ballistic missile strike on a US company’s production site in the Kharkiv region in northeast Ukraine.

In Kyiv, 376 residential buildings remained without heating.

Speaking with Czech radio, Ukraine Zelensky responded to those within the Czech Government criticizing support of Ukraine:

If we don’t help Ukraine and Ukraine falls, there is a risk that Russia will continue. Even if one doesn’t believe it completely, I don’t think it needs to be verified. The price is too high….

There is a huge risk for Europe, for any country, that Russian aggression will continue. And who else will endure what Ukraine has endured?

Asked about reports that Donald Trump’s envoys have linked security guarantees for Kyiv with Ukraine giving to Russia all of the Donetsk region in the east of the country, Zelensky said:

I have heard about it in political circles, some politicians talked about it. But I have not heard about it directly from President Trump. And it is a security guarantee from him and the US Congress.

He explained, “I understand that these security guarantees cost something. And the question is ‘What is the price?’”

Repeating that Ukraine is ready to join the EU, he acknowledged, “It depends on whether the partners agree,” adding: “I cannot speak for them.”

In remarks to reporters, Zelensky also criticized European partners for failure to supply missiles for air defense:

Imagine: I know ballistic missiles are coming against our energy infrastructure; I know the Patriots are in place; and I know there will be no electricity because there are no missiles for defense. That’s the situation I’m in.

And I arrange for PAC-3s [Patriots], which arrive a day after they nearly cause us a blackout. I can publicly say that this is a delay. But why just a day? They were supposed to arrive a month ago.

UPDATE 1011 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated that the second round of Ukraine-Russia-US talks may be postponed.

The discussions are scheduled for Sunday in Abu Dhabi, but Zelensky said on Friday, “I don’t know when the next meeting will be.” He said the date and location may change due to the “situation with the US and Iran”.

The Trump Administration has amassed an “armada” off the coast of Iran and is threatening to attack. Donald Trump’s envoy in the trilateral talks, real estate developer Steve Witkoff, is also the envoy for the Middle East and Iran.

Zelensky noted that the Kremlin is no longer interested in exchanges of prisoners of war: “They do not feel that it gives them anything. They believe that it gives us something. But I think they should also think about their people, their military.

The last POW exchange was on October 2, with a swap of 185 soldiers each and 20 Ukrainian civilians released.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Kyiv has brought back more than 7,000 Ukrainians More than 2,500 Ukrainian POWs remained in Russian captivity as of September 5.

The President pushed back against the Kremlin’s declaration that his meeting with Vladimir Putin, which Zelensky has suggested to end Russia’s invasion, could only be in Moscow.

He said, “I can just as well invite him to Kyiv, let him come. I’m openly inviting him, if he dares.”

I have always said that I am ready for any format aimed at ending the war that actually works.

But in Moscow or in Belarus, this is simply impossible – and it is absolutely clear why: because one of these countries is the aggressor that started and is waging the war against us, killing us, while the other country is its partner in these actions.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine is awaiting confirmation that Russia agrees to a temporary ceasefire of attacks against energy infrastructure.

Reports circulated on Thursday that the Kremlin accepted the ceasefire, first proposed by Kyiv and Washington last week before the first round of Ukraine-Russia-US talks in Abu Dhabi.

A second round of discussions is set for Sunday in the UAE.

Claims spread on Thursday morning that the temporary ceasefire had been established, but without any confirmation of its duration. In the afternoon, a Ukrainian member of Parliament confirmed the news to an EA correspondent.

Trump then declared, during a photo opportunity at his Cabinet meeting, “I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and various towns for a week and he agreed to do that. I have to tell you it was very nice.”

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky noted Trump had made an “important statement…about the possibility of providing security for Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities during this extreme winter period”. He expressed gratitude to Trump and said, “We hope the United States can make this happen.”

In his nightly address to the nation, the President thanked all those carrying out emergency efforts to restore power and heating after intense waves of Russian missile and drone strikes this month, and he said of the forthcoming meeting in Abu Dhabi:

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed “efforts in favor of a truce” but emphasized that “the systematic and brutal destruction of Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure by Russian attacks” was “still ongoing”.

The Kremlin refused to comment on the reports. Instead, Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov poured cold water on any advance in the trilateral talks.

Ushakov rejected statements by Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the only significant issue to be resolved is control over territory in eastern Ukraine.

“The territorial issue is the most important issue but many other issues remain on the agenda,” Ushakov said. Asked about security guarantees for Ukraine, he snapped, “No one agreed on this.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Turkish media that Western security guarantees are an attempt to protect the “illegitimate” Ukrainian government.

Russia’s Latest Murders of Civilians

Meanwhile, Russia murdered six civilians in central and southern Ukraine.

In the Zaporizhzhia region in the south, a 62-year-old man and women aged 26 and 50 were slain by shelling which set a large blaze in an apartment building.

In the neighboring Kherson region, a 46-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman were killed.

In the city of Kryvyi Rih in south-central Ukraine, an elderly woman was murdered.

Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukraine is working with Elon Musk to stop Russia from guiding drones using SpaceX’s Starlink internet system.

Ukrainian officials said they have found Starlinks on long-range drones used in the Russian attacks.

“We are grateful to SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and personally to Elon Musk for the quick response and the start of work on resolving the situation,” Fedorov posted.