New Delhi, Nov. 11 -- Hopes of ending Europe's biggest conflict since World War II are tempered, however, by the absence of any significant breakthroughs in three previous rounds of talks earlier this year.

There's nothing to suggest a new posture that would lead to a breakthrough, but circumstances surrounding the talks have been changed by the outcome of the U.S. midterm elections as well as increased pressure on Russia's wartime economy. Moscow also is seeking to break Ukrainians' will as another winter sets in by ramping up its battering of the country's power grid.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from New Delhi Times....