Carys Garland is pleased to welcome the Director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative, Peter Zalmayev. Russia carried out a major attack on Ukraine across five regions, specifically taking aim at Ukraine’s power grid, as representatives of the two warring countries are due to attend US-brokered talks. Mr. Zalmayev frames Moscow’s actions as calculated brinkmanship aimed at testing Western resolve. He highlights deep Ukrainian skepticism toward peace talks as Russia pushes ahead with its core objectives: weakening Ukraine and manipulating diplomatic space.