Ukrainian and Russian representatives had ostensibly agreed to discuss terms for a partial ceasefire, with the mediation of Qatar, which has now been called off following Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. This was reported in the Washington Post today, which claimed the information came from Qatari and Ukrainian officials. The potential agreement was premised on a halt to strikes against each other’s energy and electrical infrastructure.
According to the Post, the talks were to be indirect, and the Qatari official knowledgeable of them said they had been in preparation for two months. Russia has been in the process of decimating Ukraine’s energy grid, leaving Ukrainians with large gaps without power during the day—a phenomenon which they are concerned will only worsen over the next few months, making for a brutally cold winter. At the same time, Ukraine has struck a number of Russia’s oil and gas infrastructures.
