The U.S. and Ukraine draft a new peace framework. A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv kills four, damages energy facilities. Russia advances to close a pocket around Pokrovsk, Ukraine counterattacks, ISW says.
U.S., Ukraine draft new peace framework
Top U.S. and Ukrainian officials met in Geneva, Switzerland on Sunday to move peace talks forward with a goal of ending the war. In a joint statement released after the talks, the parties said they had created an “updated and refined peace framework.” They did not provide specifics about the issues discussed.
The two sides said their discussion was “constructive, focused, and respectful.” “Both sides agreed the consultations were highly productive. The discussions showed meaningful progress toward aligning positions and identifying clear next steps,” the statement reads.
It added that any eventual deal must “fully uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty and deliver a sustainable and just peace.” “Final decisions under this framework will be made by the Presidents of Ukraine and the United States,” the statement concluded.
U.S. and Ukraine delegations meeting in Geneva agreed over most of the 28 points of a peace plan, RBC Ukraine said Monday, citing unnamed sources. A majority of contentious elements were amended, including the size of the Ukrainian military, control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, prisoner exchange and return of convicts, it added.
The parties agreed to leave the plan’s points which call on Ukraine to cede territory and prohibit its membership in NATO for the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents to decide.
According to RBC Ukraine, the U.S. also presented Ukraine with a framework giving the country a security guarantee similar to NATO’s Article 5.
After hearing reports from the Ukrainian delegation on Sunday afternoon, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said there is now an understanding that the U.S.-proposed peace plan may take into account “a number of elements that are based on the Ukrainian vision and are critical to Ukraine’s national interests.”
“Our current proposals while still not finalized include many Ukrainian priorities,” head of Ukraine’s Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov said Sunday in a post to social media.
The UK, Germany and France drafted a counterproposal that, among other points, suggests that the Ukrainian military is capped at 800,000 in peacetime. It also says that negotiations on territorial swaps will start from the line of contact.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia had not received any official information about the outcome of the Geneva talks. It is “closely monitoring” media reports, he added.
“We will wait. Apparently, the dialogue is continuing there, and some contacts will continue. So far we have not received anything officially, he said.
Russian drone strike on Kharkiv kills four, damages energy facilities
A major Russian drone attack on Kharkiv on Sunday evening killed four people and injured 17 others, the city’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov said in a post to social media Monday.
The strike damaged a transformer substation, heating system and private homes, he said, adding, “Despite the talks, the Russian military strikes civilian sites, infrastructure and residential buildings. People are being killed.”
Russia launched 162 drones at Ukraine overnight on Monday, the Ukrainian Air Force said. Ukraine’s military shot down or otherwise neutralized 125 drones. Thirty-seven drones hit target in 15 locations and the falling debris fell in one place, it added.
Russia targeted energy infrastructure in the regions of Donetsk, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Dnipro, Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said Monday. The most difficult situation is in Dnipro region, where more than 60,000 consumers are cut off from power supply. In Kharkiv region, around 10,000 households are without power. Repair teams are working incessantly to restore electricity, the message read.
Russia advances to close pocket around Pokrovsk, Ukraine counterattacks, ISW says
The situation in the Pokrovsk direction remains serious and dynamic as Russian forces continue to advance to close the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad pocket and Ukrainian forces continue counterattacks, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in an update on Sunday. The paragraphs below are quoted from the report.
Russian forces continue efforts to complete the encirclement of the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad pocket by advancing on the northern shoulder of the encirclement. Geolocated footage published on November 22 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced in northern Rodynske (north of Pokrovsk). Additional geolocated footage published on November 22 shows Ukrainian forces striking Russian forces in northern Pokrovsk after what ISW assesses was a Russian infiltration mission that did not change control of terrain or the forward edge of battle area (FEBA) at this time.
A Kremlin-affiliated Russian milblogger claimed on November 23 that Russian forces are completing clearing operations in Pokrovsk. The milblogger claimed that Russian forces have created a “kill zone” (an area immediately near the frontline where a mass of tactical strike and reconnaissance drones pose an elevated risk to any equipment or personnel that enters the area) between Pokrovsk and Chervonyi (Krasnyi) Lyman (north of Myrnohrad). The milblogger claimed that Russian assault activity is increasing in Myrnohrad and that drone operators are entering the town. The milblogger claimed that it is highly probable that the rest of the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad agglomeration is a contested “gray zone.”
Ukrainian forces continue to counterattack and maintain a limited presence within and around Pokrovsk. The Ukrainian 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Air Assault Forces reported on November 23 that fighting is ongoing in central Pokrovsk and that Ukrainian forces are preventing Russian forces from accumulating enough forces to push into the northern part of the town. The 7th Corps noted that Russian forces are suffering heavy losses during their attempts to advance into northern Pokrovsk via the Donetska Railway.
