Feb 3 (Reuters) - Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday that a power plant in Kyiv's eastern suburbs had been seriously damaged in overnight Russian attacks, prompting officials to redirect resources to restoring heating to thousands of residents.

A day before Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. teams meet to talk peace, Putin's forces pounded Ukraine's energy infrastructure with dozens of drones and missiles.

Residents of Kyiv are struggling through a harsh winter as months of Russian drone and missile strikes have left hundreds of thousands without heat or electricity.

Vladimir Putin was accused of waiting for temperatures in Kyiv to plunge to -20C before unleashing hundreds of missiles and drones, cutting power to more than 1,000 buildings on the coldest night of the year.

The main sticking point in the negotiations continues to be the long-term fate of territory in eastern Ukraine.

Emergency power cuts swept across several Ukrainian cities as well as neighbouring Moldova on Saturday, officials said, amid a commitment from the Kremlin to U.S. President Donald Trump to pause strikes on Kyiv as Ukraine battles one of its bleakest winters in years.

Emergency power cuts have hit several Ukrainian cities and neighboring Moldova. Ukraine’s Energy Minister says a technical malfunction caused the outages, affecting power lines between Ukraine and Moldova.

KYIV — Ukraine fears it can’t rely on security guarantees from its allies in any potential peace deal, and so must be ready to stand alone as a “steel porcupine” to ensure that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin won’t return for another attack.