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Amid a major political effort, Donald Trump’s special envoy will travel to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and numerous leaders from Europe in Berlin this weekend, as US officials presses for a concrete roadmap to end the ongoing war.

Diplomatic Talks and Truce Efforts

Berlin announced it is hosting US and Ukrainian teams for preliminary talks regarding a prospective ceasefire, ahead of a broader summit involving European leaders and President Zelenskyy scheduled for Monday. Via a speech to the nation, Zelenskyy personally confirmed the upcoming meeting with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff: “A key aspect, I will be holding talks with envoys of President Trump, and there will also be meetings with our European partners, with several leaders, concerning the basis of peace – a diplomatic accord to end the war,” he noted.

Kremlin Conditions for a Truce

At the same time, Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov emphasized that Russia would exclusively give its blessing to a ceasefire following Ukrainian forces leave territory within the eastern oblast they currently hold. Ushakov added that Moscow’s security forces and national guard troops would stay in sections of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas even if the zone becomes a demilitarised zone under a potential settlement – a condition considered unacceptable for Ukraine.

Overnight Assaults Hit Ukrainian Critical Systems

Amid a separate escalation, Russian forces attacked five oblasts in Ukraine during the night, focusing on the country’s power and maritime infrastructure, per President Zelenskyy. He said the barrage involved in excess of 450 unmanned aerial vehicles and 30 missiles. As temperatures close to freezing, Ukraine’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko, said more than a million residents were left without electricity.

Furthermore, an strike on the port city of Odesa led to grain silos igniting, according to Ukrainian deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba. Regional authorities reported that two individuals were wounded in attacks on the surrounding area.

Security and Aid Developments

Amid mounting anxieties about the Russian threat, Berlin said it will send a team of engineers to Poland to support a project to fortify the country’s border with Belarus. Poland, a staunch ally of Ukraine, revealed intentions last year to bolster a long stretch of its border. The primary mission of the German soldiers will be “construction and engineering work,” a military spokesperson said.

In a separate event, about 480 passengers were evacuated from a rail service running between the Polish city of Przemysl and Kyiv after police responded to a report concerning a potential danger. No one was hurt, and authorities did not elaborate on the specific threat. Polish security services are on heightened alert due to multiple attempts to disrupt trains on the route linking Warsaw to the border with Ukraine.

In other news, Ukraine’s navy accused Russian forces of deliberately attacking a commercial ship from Turkey transporting sunflower oil to Egypt with a drone on Saturday. The navy said the vessel ‘VIVA’ was hit but able to continue its journey, with none of the 11 crew wounded.

Finally, Kyiv welcomed back 114 detainees released by Belarus on Saturday, according to the country’s prisoner exchange body. The freed captives will receive medical attention, and those Belarusian citizens who wish will be relocated to Poland or Lithuania.