Russia, Ukraine Battle Ahead of Talks  11/09 06:02

   Russia battered Ukraine's power grid again and Ukrainian forces hit another 
of Russia's biggest oil refineries, officials said Monday, hours before 
delegations from Moscow and Kyiv were due to meet for new U.S.-brokered talks 
on how to end the fighting.

   KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Russia battered Ukraine's power grid again and 
Ukrainian forces hit another of Russia's biggest oil refineries, officials said 
Monday, hours before delegations from Moscow and Kyiv were due to meet for new 
U.S.-brokered talks on how to end the fighting.

   Nearly five years after Russia invaded its neighbor, the two countries 
remain locked in battle with no sign that either side is ready to budge from 
its demands. The war has already killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and 
thousands of civilians, analysts and humanitarian organizations say.

   U.S. President Donald Trump said in a "60 Minutes" interview that aired 
Sunday that Moscow and Kyiv are "very close" to a deal, despite the "tremendous 
hatred" between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President 
Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

   He said that Ukraine would have "a little bit different shape" under the 
settlement, but he didn't elaborate.

   Trump has previously made claims about developments in the war which haven't 
materialized.

   Russia hits electrical substations, Ukraine targets a refinery 

   Russia's Ministry of Defense said Monday that it had targeted four 
electrical substations in Ukraine's Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy and 
Vinnytsia regions. The attacks are part of Russia's campaign to deny Ukrainian 
civilians heating, light and running water during the approaching winter.

   Zelenskyy said Monday the European Union had agreed to activate a special 
emergency mechanism that speeds up funding for power grid repairs.

   Russia launched 317 drones of various types including 105 jet-powered drones 
at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said.

   Russian aerial attacks have pummeled Ukraine throughout the war, with 
gruesome consequences. A Russian glide bomb attack last week near the front 
line in the southern Zaporizhzhia region killed at least 55 people at an aid 
distribution center.

   Meanwhile, long-range drones developed by Ukraine during the war started a 
fire at the KINEF oil refinery, one of Russia's largest, close to St. 
Petersburg and more than 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) from the Ukrainian 
border, Leningrad Gov. Alexander Drozdenko said Monday.

   Ukraine claimed in early October that its long-range strikes had neutralized 
more than half of Russia's oil refining capacity, hampering Moscow's ability to 
supply its forces.

   Moscow insists that Europe won't be in the 3-way talks 

   The last three-way talks, in Geneva in February, also took place amid 
continuing attacks. They delivered no significant progress in ending the war, 
but some circumstances have changed.

   Trump, whose stance on the war has varied, has to reckon with Democrats 
taking over Congress in January following the U.S. midterm elections. They 
could demand more support for Ukraine.

   Russian state finances are under heavy strain due to the war, and Ukraine's 
economy is being choked by the relentless attacks.

   In Abu Dhabi, a planned two days of talks beginning Tuesday will look at 
what security guarantees would satisfy Russia, which sees NATO as a threat, and 
Ukraine, which wants to prevent future Russian invasions.

   Putin has sought to sideline European countries and negotiate Ukraine's 
future directly with Trump. Moscow says European officials won't be involved in 
the Abu Dhabi discussions, but French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said 
Sunday that France and other European representatives would be in the United 
Arab Emirates.

   Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the meeting would focus 
on trilateral negotiations, with the United States mediating between Russia and 
Ukraine.

   "You are aware that the Americans have their own channels of communication 
with the Europeans, as do the Ukrainians, and it appears they are already 
establishing their own methods of coordination," Peskov said. "But, to 
reiterate, this is a matter of trilateral negotiations."