A screen grab from a video released by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shows fire in Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on August 11, 2024. A fire broke out Sunday in Europe's largest nuclear power plant, located in southern Ukraine, with Ukraine and Russia trading blame over the incident. Photo: VCG

Although Russia and Ukraine are reportedly set to hold indirect talks in Doha, Qatar for a "landmark agreement" halting strikes on energy and power infrastructure on both sides, Ukraine's surprise attack and incursion into Russia's western Kursk region last week appears to have derailed the schedule and thrown potential partial cease-fire talks into doubt in the short term, observers said on Sunday.

The Washington Post, citing diplomats and officials, revealed in an exclusive report on Saturday that Ukraine and Russia were set to send delegations to Doha this month to negotiate an agreement to halt strikes on energy and power infrastructure, in what "would have amounted to a partial cease-fire and offered a reprieve for both countries."

However, the indirect talks, with the Qataris serving as mediators and meeting separately with the Ukrainian and Russian delegations, were derailed after Ukrainian forces on Friday destroyed a key bridge in Russia's Kursk region, disrupting a link between Russian-controlled areas and those where Kiev has made incremental advances, according to media reports. 

As Russia continues to fight back against the offensive on its territory by Ukraine, a Russian parliamentary deputy said on Friday that Kiev's attack may lead to the conclusion that "the world is on the brink of a third world war," media reported. Experts said that the situation on the battlefield is now more complicated, warning of the potential for the conflict to spill over and become more brutal.

Cui Hongjian, a professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University's Academy of Regional and Global Governance, told the Global Times on Sunday that the Ukrainian military's surprise attack on Kursk is aimed at opening a second front to relieve pressure on the main front. 

In addition, politically, Ukraine is trying to bring the conflict to Russian soil in order to gain leverage in negotiations with Russia, Cui noted.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly vowed on August 12 he will not soften his position on negotiations because of the assault on Russian territory, the Washington Post reported. 

Cui believes that Ukraine's surprise attack on Kursk has added a new variable to the planned negotiations and increased the possibility of conflict escalation. After the attack in Kursk, the likelihood of imminent peace talks appears to have diminished in the short run, he said.

When asked about Ukrainian troops launching an offensive into the Russian territory of Kursk, a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on August 12 that China's position on the Ukraine issue is consistent and clear. The Chinese side calls on all parties to observe the three principles for deescalating the situation, namely no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no fueling the flames by any party.