The US is reportedly targeting a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine for next month, although key sticking points like territory could delay the ambitious goal. Follow the latest below – and watch Michael Clarke answer your Ukraine questions.
Saturday 7 February 2026 08:02, UK
As Russia attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure overnight, people in Kyiv sheltered in a local metro station.
They pitched up tents and wrapped themselves in blankets during what Ukraine’s energy minister described as a “massive” attack.
While there are reports suggesting the US wants a peace deal agreed in the near future (see previous post), Ukraine says Russia has launched a large-scale air attack on the country’s energy facilities.
Ukraine’s energy minister Denys Shmyhal posted an update on his Telegram account, saying Russia “carried out another massive attack on Ukraine’s energy facilities”.
“Energy workers are ready to start repair works as soon as the security situation allows,” he added.
“The government launched emergency cut-offs of power across the country.”
Earlier this week, Shmyhal warned Ukraine’s energy system would take time to fix after Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure.
Those attacks on energy sites have resumed after Donald Trump said he asked Vladimir Putin to stop for a week as harsh winter conditions gripped Ukraine.
The US is targeting an ambitious deadline for Russia and Ukraine to agree to a peace deal, according to a report.
Three sources have told Reuters that negotiators are eyeing a March goal for an agreement, but note that timeline is likely to slip if territory remains a sticking point.
Any deal would be submitted to a referendum by Ukrainian voters who would simultaneously vote in national elections, the sources added.
US negotiators have reportedly said Donald Trump is likely to focus on domestic affairs ahead of the November congressional midterms, with sources saying top US officials will have less time and political capital to spend on reaching an agreement.
Two of the sources said the possibility that the national election and referendum in Ukraine could take place in May.
However, several sources have told Reuters that the proposed US timeline is fanciful.
Under current conditions, Ukrainian authorities have projected that it would take around six months to organise an election.
Good morning and welcome back to our live coverage.
There are reports suggesting the US is eyeing an ambitious March goal for Russia and Ukraine to agree on a peace deal.
Meanwhile, Ukraine says Russia launched a major attack overnight on the country’s energy facilities.
We’ll have more on those stories shortly. Before we resume our updates, here’s a look back at some of yesterday’s top lines.
Thank you for following our live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Here’s a rundown of today’s events:
Watch: Who is the Russian general shot in Moscow?
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has paid tribute to the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s national flag being raised at the Akademik Vernadsky Antarctic Station.
“Despite the war, or rather, even in the midst of war, we continue to advance our Ukrainian science,” he says online.
“This is extremely important to us: we have people and achievements to be proud of. Ukrainian researchers and scientists are making a significant contribution to ensuring that our country is respected worldwide, while also developing our national science.”
In our previous post, we mentioned EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas saying “more pressure” on Russia will shorten the war.
She was talking about sanctions, but in our Q&A this week, several of you asked if Europe could step up that pressure by imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
A no-fly zone would mean that military forces – specifically NATO forces – would engage directly with any Russian planes spotted in those skies and shoot at them if necessary.
Our military analyst Michael Clarke says it’s NATO – not the EU – that would be able to enforce such a move.
He says a no-fly zone could work “in theory” as part of a series of measures to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty as part of a peace deal.
The issue, Clarke says, is that he believes such a peace deal – and therefore a reassurance force for Ukraine – is close to being announced.
He also believes “Russians would go berserk” and “call it an act of war”.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of “trying to destroy our power plans and our entire energy system”.
He says Moscow is “trying to kill our light”.
“And Ukraine, together with our friends, is fighting against the darkness,” Ukraine’s president adds.
“This is a battle where everything is clear. There are no gray zones here.”
Ukraine’s energy minister held a virtual meeting with his US counterpart about the possibility of using US liquefied gas imports amid the country’s worst wartime energy crisis.
Russian strikes have decimated Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, with Denys Shmyhal saying on Telegram that the move “will ensure gas supplies to both Ukraine and further to European consumers”.
“Energy, utility, and emergency services are working around the clock to restore operations. Our key priorities remain the restoration, resilience, and modernisation of the energy infrastructure,” Shmyhal adds.
He says he’s convinced Ukraine’s relationship with the US, regarding energy, has “significant potential”.
We’ve got an update from Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Ukraine’s air force, confirming that “there will be personnel changes”.
We reported at 13:50 that he said the air force’s performance in some regions was “unsatisfactory”.
In a post on Telegram, he adds that the changes are in relation to “protection” against Russian Shahed’s – Iranian-designed ‘suicide’ drones that explode on impact.
“The component of small air defence – specifically against attack drones – should work much more effectively and not allow the problems that exist now,” he says.
“On some directions, the defence lines are better built, on some directions, more work is needed, and a lot of work.”
Zelenskyy says that all decisions “should be implemented as quickly as possible”.
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