Ukraine and Russia concluded a second consecutive day of US-brokered negotiations in Abu Dhabi on Saturday without reaching a formal agreement, though both sides signalled that further talks are likely to continue next weekend. The discussions ended against the backdrop of intensified Russian airstrikes that overnight plunged large parts of Ukraine into darkness and cold, leaving more than a million people without electricity and heating during subzero winter temperatures.
Official statements issued after the talks suggested that no concrete breakthroughs had been achieved, yet both Moscow and Kyiv indicated a willingness to remain engaged in dialogue. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the primary focus of the discussions was on exploring possible parameters for ending the war, describing the talks as part of an ongoing diplomatic process rather than a final settlement.
A US official speaking to reporters after the meeting said additional negotiations were expected to take place in Abu Dhabi next Sunday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was a notable level of mutual respect during the discussions, with both delegations showing an interest in finding workable solutions. According to the official, talks had moved into detailed and technical territory, raising hopes that the next round could push the process closer to a conclusion.
A spokesperson for the United Arab Emirates government confirmed that the talks included rare face-to-face engagement between Ukrainian and Russian representatives, a significant development in a conflict that has now stretched close to four years. The spokesperson said negotiators addressed unresolved aspects of Washington’s proposed peace framework and described the atmosphere as constructive and positive.
Looking ahead, the US official said Washington hopes the diplomatic track could eventually expand beyond Abu Dhabi, with potential meetings taking place in Moscow or Kyiv. Such steps, the official said, would be necessary before any high-level bilateral meeting between Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy, or a trilateral summit involving Putin, Zelenskiy, and Donald Trump.
Even as diplomacy continued, Ukraine came under renewed and heavy bombardment. Overnight Russian attacks targeted Kyiv and the country’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, prompting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha to accuse Putin of acting cynically. Sybiha said the strikes demonstrated that Russia was undermining negotiations through violence, writing that missiles were striking not only civilians but also the negotiation process itself.
Saturday had been billed by Zelenskiy as the final day of the initial round of talks under the US-mediated peace initiative. According to the UAE, discussions included possible confidence-building measures, even as Ukraine remains under growing pressure from the Trump administration to consider concessions to bring an end to what has become Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.
US peace envoy Steve Witkoff, speaking earlier this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, said substantial progress had been made and that only one major sticking point remained. Russian officials, however, have struck a more cautious tone, suggesting that fundamental differences persist.
One of the central obstacles remains Russia’s territorial demands in eastern Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Moscow has not abandoned its insistence that Ukraine cede all of the Donbas region, which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk areas. Putin continues to demand that Ukraine surrender the roughly 20 percent of Donetsk region it still controls, a position Kyiv has firmly rejected.
Zelenskiy has repeatedly ruled out handing over territory that Russian forces have failed to capture during four years of intense and costly fighting. Public opinion polls in Ukraine show little support for territorial concessions, even as Russia maintains it prefers a diplomatic solution but will continue military operations until its objectives are met.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian toll continued to rise. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 375 drones and 21 missiles in the latest overnight barrage, once again focusing on energy infrastructure. The strikes knocked out electricity and heating for large parts of Kyiv, killing at least one person and injuring more than 30 others.
Ukrainian officials said the capital had already endured multiple mass attacks since the start of the year. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that around 800,000 residents of Kyiv were left without power after the most recent assault, with temperatures hovering near minus 10 degrees Celsius.
Zelenskiy said the scale and intensity of the overnight strikes underscored the urgency of strengthening Ukraine’s air defences. He stressed that commitments made by Trump during discussions in Davos regarding further air defence support must now be fully implemented, warning that without such measures, civilian suffering would continue even as diplomatic efforts move forward.
