This is CBS, I on the World. I'm John Batchel with Anatole Levin, the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

Ukraine at war, and yet, Reuters headline within 24 hours. Ukraine, Russia in talks on halting strikes on energy facilities. This is reported

first by the Financial Times, the pink newspaper out of London. In that article, there is

mention of talks that took place some weeks ago about the same topic that were interrupted

or stopped or disbarred, debarred by the evidence

of the Kersk salient, the surprise attack into Russia, and the talks stopped.

Now the talks have started again, and yet I'm reluctant to look upon this as promising, unless Anatole says so.

Anatole, are you surprised by this news that they have any communication whatsoever?

Because as we know, talks about a small matter can become a negotiation for the whole story.

Well, I was, yes.

I mean, there have been talks about limited things like, you know,

prisoner exchanges throughout the war and about the return of children,

which were evacuated to Russia from the war zone.

But the general analysis has been that a key part of Russia's strategy was precisely to knock Ukraine's energy infrastructure

to pieces and to create a crisis this winter, which would lead many Ukrainians to flee to the West,

and that Russia would be very unwilling, you know, to give up that strategy because it was looking so promising.

Now, if this story is true, and of course one must always be cautious about such stories.

It would be very interesting because it would suggest to me that Russia is genuinely worried

that the next US administration might or would allow Ukraine to fire missiles deep into Russia, attacking Russian infrastructure,

missiles guided by the US, by US intelligence.

Now, I don't know how worried the Russians would be about the amount of damage the Ukrainians could do because obviously

the number of these missiles is very, very limited compared to those at Russia's disposal.

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