Feb 16 - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Ukrainian intelligence indicates Russia is preparing additional large-scale attacks on energy infrastructure, and he urged that air defence systems be configured accordingly to blunt the threat. He delivered the assessment in his nightly video address as delegations from Ukraine, Russia and the United States assembled in Geneva for a U.S.-brokered round of talks set to begin on Tuesday.
"Intelligence reports show that Russia is preparing further massive strikes against energy infrastructure so it is necessary to ensure that all air defence systems are properly configured," Zelenskiy said, adding that the evolving nature of Russian operations includes a mix of weapons such as drones and missiles that demand "special defence and support from our partners".
He warned that the Kremlin appears intent on inflicting painful strikes in the final days of winter, urging partner nations to recognise the immediacy of the threat and singling out the United States as a primary concern for coordinated support. "Russia cannot resist the temptation of the final days of winter cold and wants to strike Ukrainians painfully," he said. "Partners must understand this. First and foremost, this concerns the United States."
The Geneva meetings represent the third round of talks brokered by the United States and will, for the first time in this process, focus on the most contentious issue of the war - the status of Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russia. Ukrainian delegation head Rustem Umerov said on Telegram that his team was already in Geneva and looking forward "to constructive work and substantive meetings on security and humanitarian issues".
Moscow has stated that it seeks control of the entire Donbas region. The Kremlin confirmed that Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, will lead the Russian delegation. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that "This time, the idea is to discuss a broader range of issues, including, in fact, the main ones. The main issues concern both the territories and everything else related to the demands we have put forward."
Previous rounds of the U.S.-supported talks, held in the United Arab Emirates, produced a prisoner exchange but did not yield progress toward a settlement on the underlying territorial and security disputes.
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