Ukraine and the United States are exploring a proposal to offer Russia an energy truce that would halt attacks on Moscow's shadow fleet and oil facilities in exchange for stopping strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, though negotiations are unlikely to yield results, the Financial Times reports, citing sources.
A senior American official told FT that a trilateral meeting is expected to take place on 23 January and 24 January, in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
The Office of the President reported that the trilateral meeting has not been fully confirmed yet and that Ukrainian and American sides are awaiting Russia's response.
The format Russia says Putin will propose resembles negotiations held in Abu Dhabi last November, where Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met separately with American officials but did not communicate directly with each other.
The US and Ukraine have discussed a proposal to Russia for a limited truce under which Moscow would stop strikes on energy infrastructure in exchange for Kyiv ceasing attacks on Russian oil refineries and shadow fleet tankers.
Negotiations with Russia on this proposal are not at an advanced stage, one FT source said, adding that Putin is unlikely to agree because he views pressure on Ukrainian energy infrastructure as an important leverage tool.
A senior Ukrainian official told the newspaper that Ukraine is also hesitant about an energy truce because its long-range drone program has been successfully hitting Russian oil and gas facilities and shadow fleet tankers.
