Russia continues to reject the idea of a ceasefire, despite Ukraine's stated readiness for a limited cessation of strikes. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the resumption of trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US will not limit the actions of the Russian army.
“The decision to continue negotiations does not imply restrictions on military action“, Peskov said. According to him, Russian forces will continue their operations against Ukraine. Anadolu Agency reported his statement as a sign that Moscow does not link the diplomatic process to a cessation of hostilities.
Talks around November 10
The upcoming round of contacts is expected to take place in Abu Dhabi around November 10. Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States are to participate in it, with the format being at an expert and negotiation level, not a meeting between the presidents.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov described the talks as a likely “test run“. According to information cited by The Associated Press, Moscow has agreed in principle to resume the trilateral format, but no significant breakthrough has been announced.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Kiev's readiness to discuss a ceasefire agreement in the energy sector or in the Black Sea. The Ukrainian position is that these measures should be considered precisely within the framework of the upcoming talks.
Moscow links the negotiations to broader demands
According to the assessment of the Institute for the Study of War, Russia may use the resumption of the diplomatic process to demand concessions not only on issues related to Ukraine, but also on topics related to NATO and the European security architecture.
Moscow formulated similar demands as early as December 2021. They include restrictions on NATO's military presence and infrastructure in Europe. This position contradicts US President Donald Trump's commitment to maintain a US military presence in Poland, as well as the deployment of US forces in the Baltic states.
Thus, a significant discrepancy remains between Kiev's stated readiness for a limited ceasefire and the Russian position. Ukraine has talked about specific sectors and temporary measures, while the Kremlin has stressed that talks alone will not stop the fighting.
Russian IT infrastructure also hit by strikes
Against this backdrop, Ukraine's long-range strike campaign is forcing Russian companies to relocate some of their IT infrastructure. Yandex said it had relocated its supercomputers, the Lyapunov, Galushkin and Chervonenkis, after its data centers were hit by attacks.
The center in Sasovo, Ryazan Region, housed two of the company's three supercomputers. RBK reported that the machines remained undamaged and were moved to more protected locations.
Sources: news.bg, aa.com.tr, rbc.ru