Issued on: 05/02/2026 - 07:30Modified: 06/02/2026 - 04:10
President Vladimir Putin is ready for a call from his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron for “serious” discussions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday, while describing the French leader's statements on a possible resumption of dialogue with Moscow as “pathetic diplomacy”. Read our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.
This liveblog is no longer being updated.
Ukraine shelling causes serious damage in Russian border city of Belgorod
Nighttime shelling by Ukraine inflicted "serious damage" in the Russian city of Belgorod, near the border, the region's governor said early on Friday.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, in a solemn video posted on Telegram after midnight, said city officials were holding an emergency meeting to devise a plan of action.
"I cannot say good evening, unfortunately, my dear friends," Gladkov said in the video, recorded in near-darkness.
"The enemy has shelled the civilian city of Belgorod. Everyone knows we have no military targets. There has been serious damage. I have been out to look around."
US treasury secretary signals new Russia sanctions tied to Ukraine peace talks
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday said further US sanctions against Russia depend on talks aimed at ending the nearly four-year-old Ukraine war.
Bessent, who participated in talks with Russian officials and President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami on Saturday, said he would consider new sanctions against Russia's shadow fleet – a step Trump has not taken since returning to office in January 2025.
“I will take it under consideration. We will see where the peace talks go,” Bessent said at a Senate Banking Committee hearing.
He said the Trump administration's US sanctions against Russian oil majors Rosneft and Lukoil had helped bring Russia to the negotiating table in the peace talks.
Trump rejects offer from Putin to extend nuclear deal
US President Donald Trump on Thursday rejected an offer from his Russian counterpart to voluntarily extend caps on strategic nuclear weapons deployments after the treaty that held them in check for more than two decades expired.
“Rather than extend New START, we should have our nuclear experts work on a new, improved and modernised treaty that can last long into the future,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
Ukrainian communique says Kyiv, Moscow to continue trilateral talks in coming weeks
Trilateral talks between Ukraine and Russia, mediated by the United States, will continue in the coming weeks, said Kyiv's lead negotiator Rustem Umerov after the latest round of talks in Abu Dhabi.
"The delegations agreed to inform their respective capitals and to continue three-sided talks over the coming weeks," said a communique issued by Umerov.
The communique expressed thanks to the United Arab Emirates for organising the meeting and to US President Donald Trump for "his leadership in advancing efforts to end the war".
Putin ready for a call from Macron for a 'serious' discussion, Lavrov says
President Vladimir Putin is ready for a call from his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron for “serious” discussions, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, while describing the French leader's statements on a possible resumption of dialogue with Moscow as “pathetic diplomacy.”
“If you want to talk, and talk seriously about something, then call. Putin will always pick up the phone. He listens to all proposals,” Lavrov said in an interview with Russian media outlet RT.
“Macron, about two weeks ago, said again, ‘I'm going to call Putin one day.’ That's not serious, you know, it's a kind of pathetic diplomacy,” he added.
Lavrov's comments came after Macron's top diplomatic advisor Emmanuel Bonne was in Moscow on Tuesday to hold talks with Russian officials, according to a source.
The French presidency neither confirmed nor denied the talks.
Russia expels German diplomat in tit-for-tat move
Russia has said it is expelling a German diplomat after Berlin last month threw out a Russian official it accused of being a spy handler.
The foreign ministry said it had issued a "note declaring a diplomatic employee of the German Embassy in Moscow persona non grata" in what was a "symmetrical response."
Moscow also rejected Germany's accusations of espionage as "baseless" and accused Berlin of whipping up "a spirit of spy mania".
Germany in January summoned Russia's ambassador and ordered the expulsion of a diplomat suspected of being the handler of a woman arrested on espionage charges.
US, Russia to reestablish high level military-to-military dialogue, US military says
The US and Russia have agreed to reestablish high level military-to-military dialogue, following talks in Abu Dhabi, more than four years after suspension, according to the US military.
The agreement was reached following meetings in Abu Dhabi between Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the Commander of US European Command -- who is also NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe -- and senior Russian and Ukrainian military officials, the United States European Command said in a statement.
The channel “will provide a consistent military-to-military contact as the parties continue to work towards a lasting peace”, the statement said. High level military communication was suspended in 2021, just before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Poland preparing $56 million aid package for Ukraine, Tusk says
Poland is preparing a new 200 million zloty ($55.91 million) aid package for Ukraine mainly composed of armoured equipment, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced during his joint news conference in Kyiv with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Tusk said Poland could give Ukraine MiG-29 fighter jets at any time, but that Zelensky had told him Kyiv may need other air-defence equipment as a higher priority, and that he would discuss this with Polish officials and get back to the Ukrainian president about it on Monday.
Ukraine is ready to swap drones for Polish defence missiles and jets, Zelensky says
Ukraine is ready to swap its drones for air defence missiles and Polish MiG-29 fighter jets, said President Volodymyr Zelensky at a news conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Zelensky also said the two discussed the development of power grid connectivity between Poland and Ukraine, whose energy system has been battered by Russian air strikes in recent months.
Talks between US, Russian and Ukrainian teams in Abu Dhabi 'not easy', Zelensky says
Negotiations between Ukrainian, Russian and US teams in Abu Dhabi have not been easy, said President Volodymyr Zelensky, adding that Kyiv wanted to see faster steps towards ending Russia's invasion.
"It is certainly not easy, but Ukraine has been and will remain as constructive as possible," Zelensky told a press conference in Kyiv alongside Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, adding: "We want faster results."
Kyiv residents replace windows blown out by drone strike
In icy conditions, residents in Kyiv use wooden boards to replace broken windows in an apartment building damaged during a Russian overnight drone strike.
© Gleb Garanich, Reuters
Ukraine-Russia-US talks have concluded, Ukrainian spokesperson says
Ukraine and Russia have concluded the second day of US- brokered talks in Abu Dhabi aiming to find an end to the four-year war, a Ukrainian spokesperson said Thursday, after the warring sides agreed a prisoner swap.
"The negotiations have concluded," Diana Davitian, spokeswoman for Ukraine's top negotiator Rustem Umerov, told journalists.
Russia, Ukraine swap 157 POWs each, Moscow says
Ukraine and Russia have conducted their first prisoner exchange in months, each releasing 157 captured soldiers, Russia's defence ministry said Thursday, amid US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi aimed at ending the war.
"On February 5, 157 Russian servicemen were returned" from Ukraine, the defence ministry said in a statement. It added that "in exchange, 157 prisoners of war of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were handed over."
The United States and United Arab Emirates acted as mediators for the exchange, it said.
Sweden gives $111 million energy aid to Ukraine
Sweden's government has said it will provide aid to Ukraine's energy system worth 1 billion Swedish crowns ($111.11 million).
Moscow says Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant must be Russian, but US could work there
Russia is ready for international cooperation over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, including with the United States, a senior nuclear official was quoted as saying.
But the facility must be Russian, said Alexei Likhachev, head of the state nuclear corporation Rosatom.
Russian forces have controlled the plant in southern Ukraine since shortly after the start of the war in 2022. Its fate is one of the points of contention between Russia and Ukraine in peace talks mediated by the United States.
The six reactors are not in operation, and the plant relies on external power to keep its nuclear material cool and prevent a catastrophic accident.
Russian war bloggers report Starlink outage on Ukraine front
Russian military bloggers on Thursday reported a sweeping outage of Starlink internet terminals across the Ukraine front, after network owner Elon Musk shut them down following a plea from Kyiv.
At least nine bloggers close to the Russian army said connections had been lost, adding that this could weaken Moscow's ability to wage drone warfare and hinder coordination between units.
Moscow does not have a home-produced alternative to the satellite internet terminals.
Ukraine, Russia delegations agree to exchange 314 prisoners, US envoy Witkoff says
Delegations from the United States, Ukraine and Russia have agreed to exchange 314 prisoners, US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said in a post on X on Thursday.
"Discussions will continue, with additional progress anticipated in the coming weeks," he said.
Ukrainian pop star's attempt to bring hope sparks ire amid Kyiv power cuts
Ukraine’s energy minister has cautioned that scheduled power outages may intensify in the coming days, even as 200 emergency teams race to restore heating in the capital.
Amid freezing temperatures and mounting hardship, a local pop star has drawn attention by using music in an attempt to lift spirits that provoked ire among Kyiv residents, correspondent Gulliver Cragg reports.
Starlink terminals used by Russia in Ukraine deactivated, minister says
Starlink internet terminals used by Russian forces in Ukraine have been deactivated, Kyiv's defence minister said.
Defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on the Telegram app that Ukraine would continue to compile a list of verified terminals that are authorized for operations and the first batch on that list was already operational.
Yesterday's key developments:
Ukrainian and Russian officials concluded a “productive” first day of new US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, Kyiv’s lead negotiator said.
French President Emmanuel Macron's diplomatic adviser visited the Kremlin on Wednesday to meet with Russian officials.
Around 55,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, adding a "great number" were also missing in action.
Ukraine’s energy minister warned households on Wednesday that planned blackouts could worsen in the coming days and that Russian forces could launch a new air attack to further disable power and heating networks.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AFP and AP)
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