Ukraine team in US for peace talks as Russia escalates power grid attacks in winter
WASHINGTON, DC: Kyiv is pursuing postwar security guarantees and economic recovery plans even as Russian attacks leave communities without heat and electricity in subzero temperatures. A Ukrainian delegation arrived in the United States on Saturday, January 17, for talks tied to a US-led diplomatic effort to end the nearly four-year-old war.
Kyrylo Budanov, chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that the delegation would focus on “the details of the peace agreement.”
Writing on the Telegram messaging app, Budanov said he was joined by senior Ukrainian negotiators Rustem Umerov and Davyd Arakhamia.
The Ukrainian team is scheduled to meet US Envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll as Washington steps up diplomatic outreach aimed at bringing the conflict closer to a negotiated settlement.
Documents could be finalized ahead of Davos
Zelenskyy said on Friday that Ukrainian officials hope to finalize draft documents with US counterparts covering postwar security guarantees and plans for economic recovery.
If American officials approve the proposals, the US and Ukraine could sign the documents next week during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trump is expected to attend the forum, according to event organizers.
Zelenskyy stressed that Russia would still need to be consulted on the proposals, underscoring that the diplomatic process remains in its early stages.
Russia targets energy infrastructure
Even as diplomacy advances, Russian forces continued to strike Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Overnight into Saturday, attacks hit facilities in the Kyiv and Odesa regions, according to the Ministry of Energy, leaving more than 20 settlements in the Kyiv region without electricity.
Russia has repeatedly hammered Ukraine’s power grid throughout the war, particularly during the winter months, in what Ukrainian officials described as a strategy to “weaponize winter” by sapping civilian morale and resilience.
Emergency measures as temperatures plunge
Ukraine’s new Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Russia carried out 612 attacks on energy targets over the past year, with the pace intensifying in recent months as nighttime temperatures dropped to minus 18 degrees Celsius.
In response, Ukrainian authorities introduced emergency measures, including temporarily easing curfew restrictions so residents could reach public heating centers whenever necessary.
Shmyhal said hospitals, schools and other critical infrastructure remained the top priority for electricity and heat supplies.
He added that state-owned energy companies Ukrzaliznytsia, Naftogaz and Ukroboronprom have been instructed to urgently purchase imported electricity to cover at least 50% of their own consumption.
