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Second day of landmark negotiations came as dozens injured and one killed in major Russian missile and drone attack, according to Ukrainian officials
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Vladimir Putin ordered a “brutal” attack on Kyiv that has left millions without power as trilateral peace talks were underway in Abu Dhabi, according to Ukrainian officials.
The two-day negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the US, marked the first such talks since the war erupted in February 2022, but they drew to a close on Saturday with no significant breakthroughs made. The Donbas region, including the largely Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions, remain a sticking point for both countries.
The second day of talks came as dozens of people were injured in Kyiv and Kharkiv, with at least one person dead in the capital, after Russia launched a major missile and drone attack, according to Ukrainian officials. They consequently accused the Russian president of not being ready for peace.
“Cynically, Putin ordered a brutal massive missile strike against Ukraine right while delegations are meeting in Abu Dhabi to advance the America-led peace process,” Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X. “His missiles hit not only our people, but also the negotiation table.”
The attack on Ukraine’s energy system also left 1.2 million properties without power countrywide on Saturday, with temperatures in Kyiv hovering around -10C as thousands were left without heating.
White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg reports:
The next round of trilateral peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the US, is set to take place in the UAE next weekend, according to a White House official.
The senior official in the Trump administration told reporters: “We’ve agreed that the next round begins next Sunday in Abu Dhabi again.
“We got a lot of work done in the last two days, but everyone’s eager to come right on back.
“So, then there’s a lot of preparatory work before that next meeting that’s going to occur, with regard to the land deal, lots of discussion happened over the last two days. And that’s very important.
“So I don’t want to get into the details of the different iterations of how that could occur, but there now is a willingness on both sides to talk about this, so we’re encouraged by that.”
White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg reports:
A senior official in the Trump administration has said that a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky is “very close”.
When asked about when bilateral or trilateral talks between the two leaders might take place, they told reporters: “I would say we’re very close.”
White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg reports:
A senior official in the Trump administration has spoken about what was discussed during the trilateral peace talks after they drew to a close.
They told reporters: “There were extensive side conversations that were happening as well, in addition to the formal discussions.
“We discussed de-escalation. You know, what are the steps necessary for both sides to feel like, if this war has ended, it really won’t happen again. We said that if President Trump is going to push for a deal, he wants it to be a deal that will last for a very, very long time. So we spoke about different ways to de-escalate and for both parties to show faith to each other that the war would really be over and that there’s a paradigm that hopefully will exist that will not lead to it happening again in the future.”
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States, which had concluded in the UAE, were “constructive” and that further meetings could take place next week.
Zelensky said military representatives had identified a list of issues for discussion at a potential future meeting.
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday, commenting on the prospects of additional talks with Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul, said that Moscow remains open to a continuation of dialogue, the RIA state news agency reported.
Russia and Ukraine held a second day of US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Saturday seeking a resolution to the war.
A UAE government spokesperson said on Saturday that talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi focused on the “outstanding elements” of the US-proposed peace framework.
The spokesperson said the talks included “direct engagement” between officials from both countries and were held in a “constructive and positive atmosphere”.
Prior to talks in Abu Dhabi, US envoy Steve Witkoff went to Moscow with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner where they met Vladimir Putin who reportedly doubled down on a pledge to settle the war.
After a four-hour meeting, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said: “Vladimir Putin has emphasised Russia’s sincere commitment to settling the Ukraine crisis by political and diplomatic means.”
But he said “bringing about a lasting settlement would be unlikely without addressing the territorial issue based on the formula as agreed in Anchorage”.
The second day of US-brokered talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi has ended, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Saturday.
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