Energy strikes tilt leverage as trilateral talks loom in Ukraine war

As Ukraine, Russia and the US head toward a trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi, Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have left large parts of the country without heat or power in freezing conditions, a tactic Kyiv says is meant to pressure concessions on territory. Zelenskyy says only the territorial issue remains unresolved after Davos talks that produced security guarantees, while Ukraine rushes repairs and bolsters air defences. The energy assault underscores Moscow’s leverage-at-war strategy, with the IAEA noting risks to nuclear cooling at Chernobyl and UNICEF warning of harm to children amid the outages.