Constant Méheut

The cease-fire would be in effect this weekend, the Kremlin said, but each side accused the other of violating a similar pause announced last year.

As the Persian Gulf conflict boosts the oil revenue that finances Moscow’s war against Ukraine, Kyiv’s forces are striking at Russia’s ability to refine and ship its crude.

In the age of drone warfare, Russia is expected to exploit the return of vegetation to help conceal its troops.

Strikes on Ukrainian energy systems have tripled this winter. Continuous repairs and Western aid staved off a total breakdown.

Russia has lost as many as 325,000 troops, according to some estimates, with more than 200,000 deaths verified by researchers.

Hungary said that it would block both the latest sanctions package on Russia and a financial aid package to Kyiv worth about $106 billion.

Vladyslav Vlasiuk has spent the past four years pressing Western allies to squeeze the Russian economy through more sanctions. He hopes that 2026 will be the tipping point.

The talks in Geneva, Switzerland, were expected to focus on Ukrainian-held territory in the east that Russia wants to control as the price of peace. Kyiv has said that demand is a nonstarter.

Both sides described previous U.S.-mediated negotiations as productive, although they did not appear to address sticking points like territory and security guarantees.

Russian troops have advanced at a glacial pace in recent months, but gains in southern and eastern Ukraine could give Moscow an edge in U.S.-mediated peace talks.

The Ukrainian leader’s speech in Davos, Switzerland, was one of his most scathing critiques of his closest allies.

The world’s largest asset manager has been enlisted to help build Ukraine’s recovery plan. Some fear it is part of a Trump administration effort to steer the effort toward American business interests.

Russia has targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in past winters, but this year intensified its attacks as temperatures in Ukraine plunged well below freezing.