NEW: Putin met with a US delegation in Moscow on the night of January 22 to 23 and agreed to trilateral US, Russian, and Ukrainian working group meetings in Abu Dhabi on January 23 and 24. The Kremlin is trying to push Trump to abandon the negotiation process with Ukraine and Europe that Trump has been leading and to concede to the demands Russia made at the August 2025 US-Russia summit in Alaska.
Other Key Takeaways
– The Kremlin is engaged in an informational campaign aimed at Ukraine’s partners that attempts to present control over Donbas as the main issue left to discuss in peace talks, but Russian officials’ statements for domestic audiences have repeatedly confirmed that Russia’s demands go beyond eastern Ukraine.
– Long-term support for Ukraine’s economy and reconstruction is essential for Ukraine’s security, but it is not a substitute for robust security guarantees that deter future Russian aggression.
– Kremlin officials indicated that Russia wants to use its assets frozen in the United States to benefit the Russian economy and offset the cost of Russia’s full-scale invasion — as ISW recently assessed.
– The Kremlin is likely preparing to carefully manage the succession plan for Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov in order to avoid a tumultuous transfer of power that may result in unrest in Chechnya and divert Chechen resources from the war in Ukraine.
– Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov appointed Serhiy Sternenko to advise the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (MoD) on scaling up the use of drones on the front.
– Russian forces recently advanced near Slovyansk and Novopavlivka.
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) Jan 24, 2026
The post NEW: Putin met with a US delegation in Moscow on the night of January 22 to 23 and agreed to trilateral US, Russian, and Ukrainian working group meetings in Abu Dhabi on January 23 and 24. The Kremlin is trying to push Trump to abandon the negotiation process with Ukraine and Europe that Trump has been leading and to concede to the demands Russia made at the August 2025 US-Russia summit in Alaska. Other Key Takeaways ⬇️ – The Kremlin is engaged in an informational campaign aimed at Ukraine’s partners that attempts to present control over Donbas as the main issue left to discuss in peace talks, but Russian officials’ statements for domestic audiences have repeatedly confirmed that Russia’s de first appeared on October Surprise 2016 – octobersurprise2016.org.
