Signals from Russian and US envoys

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that US-mediated talks planned to take place in Abu Dhabi on Sunday may be delayed. In his Sunday. Zelensky said Kyiv was prepared to work on peace plans and that Kyiv was preparing for them to take place next week. His remarks came as Ukraine faced rolling power cuts amid freezing temperatures.

Also on the programme: the renowned Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei tells us about his first return to China in ten years; and new evidence about the world’s earliest pandemic, the Plague of Justinian.

PICTURE: President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv, Ukraine January 16, 2026 CREDIT:REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo