>Kremlin Calls Abu Dhabi Talks ‘Constructive’ on Ukraine Conflict

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has demanded tougher measures against the Russian shadow fleet — a network of differently flagged tankers used by Moscow to circumvent oil sanctions — and called for greater vigilance in the face of hybrid Russian attacks.

Speaking during a visit to Latvia on Monday, Wadephul called for “better cooperation between Baltic nations,” including Germany, including better maritime surveillance and more effective deterrence.

“We want to take action against ships whose flag status is unclear,” he said. “We must use all the possibilities offered by maritime law to stop such ships.”

His Latvian counterpart, Baiba Braze, concurred, saying: “All loopholes that are being exploited by Russia to carry out these operations must be closed.”

“All kinds of attempts are being made to influence Western countries,” Braze said. “These will continue and become even more intense. This is the new normal.”

The pair also warned against the increasing threat posed by Russian hybrid activity such as cyberattacks and interference with sub-marine communications cables, with Wadephul claiming that Germany alone had fended off “two billion attacks on IT systems” in just one year.

The German minister also criticized Moscow over its “stubborn insistence on the decisive territorial issue” regarding Russian ambitions in Ukraine.

He added that “if there is no agility here, I am afraid that the negotiations may take a long time or will not be successful now.” Wadephul also warned that “Russia will continue to try to destabilize us and this will not stop, even with a possible peace agreement in Ukraine.”

A grassroots fundraising campaign in the Czech Republic has raised over €5 million ($6 million) in just five days to buy generators, heaters and batteries for Ukraine.

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are enduring sub-zero winter temperatures as low as -20°C (-4°F) without adequate heating due to escalating Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure.

The Dárek pro Putina (“A Gift for Putin“) initiative has been collecting donations for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion ‍in 2022, including campaigns to purchase a Blackhawk helicopter and a tank as well as drones, ammunition and medical supplies worth over €50 million.

“Over the weekend we booked two generators — the diesel-fueled boxes that ‍come on a truck — that should go to two smaller health facilities,” organizer Martin Ondracek told the Reuters news agency, explaining that there is a particular demand for chemical heaters and batteries.

“Batteries are key for people to charge when power is available so they have at least some power [during power cuts],” he said.

Russian and Ukrainian forces exchanged drone attacks late on Sunday night and into Monday morning, according to officials from both sides.

The Ukrainian Air Force said it detected 138 Russian drones, 110 of which were shot down or otherwise disabled while 21 hit targets in 11 locations.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 40 Ukrainian drones, including 34 over the southwestern Krasnodar region and four over the Sea of Azov.

Officials in Krasnodar said drone fragments fell on two industrial plants in the town of Slavyansk, injuring one person and sparking fires that were extinguished.

Ukraine’s general staff said an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region which supplies the Russian military was also targeted.

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin offered cautious praise for trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi over the weekend.

“The very fact that these contacts have begun in a constructive way can be assessed positively, but there is still serious work ahead,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Peskov added that the talks were due to continue next week.

Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also described the Gulf talks as constructive but cautioned that “complex political issues … remain unresolved.”

Zelenskyy confirmed at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week that the major sticking point was “all about the land” — a reference to Russian demands that Ukrainian forces withdraw from the 25% of the eastern Donetsk region which they still control.

Kyiv is reportedly prepared to pull troops back up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the current frontline in order to create a buffer zone guaranteed by the United States, if Moscow does the same.Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov insisted over the weekend, however, that Russia will “continue to consistently pursue the objectives of the special military operation.”

Hello and welcome to DW’s coverage of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine on Monday, January 26.

Russian, Ukrainian and US officials met in Abu Dhabi over the weekend for trilateral talks which a Kremlin spokesman on Monday described as “constructive”  — but key sticking points remain.

Germany‘s Foreign Minister criticized Moscow’s stubbornness over its territorial demands and called for tougher measures against the Russian shadow fleet.

Meanwhile, people in the Czech Republic have raised over $6 million to purchase generators for Ukraine as Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure continue.