L to R: Ukraine, Russia, and US delegations at talks to end Moscow’s invasion, Abu Dhabi, February 4, 2026

EA-War and Politics 24 VideoCast: With No Imminent Ceasefire in Ukraine, How Do You Pressure Russia?

Wednesday’s Coverage: Merz to Trump — No Surrender of More Ukrainian Territory to Russia

UPDATE 0940 GMT:

At least seven civilians have been murdered and 25 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.

Air defenses downed 136 of 155 drones launched overnight.

In the Donetsk region in the east, two people were killed and five injured.

In the neighboring Kharkiv region, two women, aged 27 and 64, were slain. Another 13 people, including a 17-year-old girl, were wounded.

In the Kherson region in the south, three civilians were murdered and five injured.

Casualties were also reported in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Off the coast of the Odesa region in the south, a Russian drone struck a Panamanian-flagged vessel carrying corn in the Black Sea. An unidentified number of crew members were injured.

UPDATE 0912 GMT:

An explosion has sunk a Russian liquefied natural gas carrier 150 miles off the coast of Libya.

The Arctic Metagaz was carrying 61,000 tons of LNG. Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of carrying out the attack, with Russia’s Transport Ministry blaming drones launched from the Libyan coast.

Ukraine has not commented.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that trilateral talks with Russia and the US to end Moscow’s invasion are on hold because of the US-Israel War on Iran.

In his nightly address to the nation, Zelensky said, “We continue to engage with the United States practically on a daily basis. For now, because of the situation with Iran, the necessary signals for a trilateral meeting haven’t come yet.”

The President has hoped for another round of talks in early March. There have been three sets so far, but the Kremlin has refused to give up demands such as its seizure of all of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine’s top officials met Donald Trump’s envoys in Geneva on February 26 to discuss the fourth round. Two days later, the US and Israel attacked Iran.

“As soon as the security situation and the broader political context allow us to resume the trilateral diplomatic work, it will be done. Ukraine is ready for it,” Zelensky said.”

In an interview with Italian media, Zelensky said Kyiv is speaking with the Trump camp about a change in location of the meeting, which had been planned for Abu Dhabi in the UAE.

He hoped for confirmation of an exchange of prisoners of war which been agreed in previous meeting: “A POW exchange is always an important moment – it is a positive outcome for families.”

He added:

For some reason, some people in the world have begun to take Putin’s words at face value – that if Ukraine were not present in Donbas [the Donetsk and Luhansk region], the war would end. Despite all the words previously said by Russia, the aggression has only intensified, and we simply cannot trust the Russian side.

We can try to negotiate an end to the war with strong mediators, but the conditions must be such that we do not trust or rely just on Russia’s words. We must understand that Ukraine’s withdrawal from Donbas will not guarantee that Putin will not continue the war.

I would even say the opposite. What is certain is that he will continue. What is not certain is whether he will continue immediately.