
Frontline Konstantinovka in the Donetsk region. Photo Oleg Petrasiuk / 24th Mechanized Brigade of Ukrainian Armed Forces / AFP / Sacnpix / LETA.
- Trilateral negotiations involving delegations from Russia, Ukraine, and the USA concluded in Geneva. The discussions did not lead to concrete decisions; however, Volodymyr Zelensky reported that the parties nearly agreed on a mechanism for a ceasefire, although there is no progress in the political sphere. Rustem Umerov added that the main task is to prepare conditions for a political solution that must ultimately be approved by the presidents of both countries. The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, characterized the discussions as "difficult but constructive."
- After the formal conclusion of the negotiations, Vladimir Medinsky returned to the hotel, where he also spoke with Rustem Umerov and David Arakhamia.
- At a briefing, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt noted the "significant progress" achieved in the Geneva talks from both sides.
- Representatives of Ukraine and the European Union announced a boycott of the Winter Paralympic Games, which will take place in Milan and Cortina. The reason was the decisions of the International Paralympic Committee that allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under their national flags.
- Athletes from Russia participating in the Olympic Games did not receive phones, unlike other participants, due to imposed sanctions.
- Hungary and Slovakia suspended diesel fuel supplies to Ukraine, accusing it of blocking the operation of the Druzhba pipeline, which supplies Russian oil. Ukraine claims that the pipeline was damaged as a result of a strike from Russia.
- Valeriy Zaluzhny, former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and now Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, told Associated Press about his disagreements with Volodymyr Zelensky. He noted that at the end of 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine conducted a search of his office, which he considers an act of intimidation, and accused the president of failing the counteroffensive in 2023.
- On Thursday night, Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in Velikiye Luki, located in the Pskov region, as confirmed by the region's governor.
- According to Viktor Nikita, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, after recent Russian attacks on critical infrastructure in the Odesa region, tens of thousands of people were left without heat and water.
- The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the interception and destruction of 120 Ukrainian drones between 14:00 and 20:00, of which 81 were shot down over the Bryansk region.
- In the Dnipropetrovsk region, local authorities reported the complete destruction of a private house in the Synelnykove district as a result of an airstrike. Rescuers found the body of a 61-year-old man under the rubble.
- Governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov reported a new strike on an energy facility in the regional center.
- The head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media of Russia, Maksut Shadayev, stated that the authorities do not intend to block the operation of the Telegram messenger at the front.