Zelensky says energy ceasefire in Ukraine discussed at Abu Dhabi peace talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said an energy ceasefire was discussed during trilateral peace talks in the United Arab Emirates last week, after Donald Trump said Russia's Vladimir Putin agreed to halt strikes for a week.

In a statement on US social media company X, Zelensky reacted to US President Trump's remarks during a meeting that he "personally asked" Russian President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities amid extreme winter conditions.

"Power supply is a foundation of life. We value the efforts of our partners to help us protect lives," Zelensky said, thanking Trump.

"Our teams discussed this in the United Arab Emirates. We expect the agreements to be implemented. De-escalation steps contribute to real progress toward ending the war," he added.

In further remarks on the matter, Zelensky said in an evening video address that "the situation tonight and over these days" will "show how things stand."

Russia, Ukraine, and the US held two days of consultations in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi on Jan. 23-24. A new round of trilateral peace talks are tentatively due on Sunday, again in Abu Dhabi.

Russian authorities have yet to comment on the energy ceasefire.