Russia has launched a new, massive wave of attacks in Ukraine. The bombings targeted energy infrastructure in Kiev and Kharkiv, leaving thousands of people without power in freezing weather. The action came as delegations from Ukraine, Russia and the United States were holding peace talks in the United Arab Emirates. The leaders described the talks as constructive and vowed to continue.
The Russian military has launched a new wave of attacks in Ukraine, killing at least one person and injuring 31 others, on the day that trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates concluded in the hope of reaching a peace agreement.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the attacks while sharply criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin for taking action during negotiations.
"With cynicism, Putin ordered a major missile attack on Ukraine just as delegations are meeting in Abu Dhabi to advance the US-led peace process. His missiles hit not only our people, but also the negotiating table," the Ukrainian Foreign Minister declared.
In the talks in Abu Dhabi, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner discussed a peace agreement with Ukrainian officials Rustem Umerov and Kyrylo Budanov, while Russia was represented by military intelligence and army officials.
After their conclusion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the discussions were constructive and with possible parameters to end the war.
"All parties have agreed to report to their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and coordinate further steps with their leaders," Zelensky stressed.
He also said that military representatives have identified issues for a possible future meeting, which could take place as early as next week. Zelensky said that at the meeting there was an understanding by all parties that American monitoring and control of the process to end the war and to provide security guarantees is necessary.
The Russian state news agency RIA also reported that Moscow remains open to continuing dialogue between Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
The Russian state news agency TASS reported that the talks were held in both English and Russian. According to a preliminary TASS report, the issue of territories was key to the negotiations. In the midst of the talks, it was understood by all parties that the issue of territories is the only one that remains to be resolved. The Kremlin has reiterated Russia's position that Ukraine must withdraw from the Donbas region, while Ukraine has consistently refused.
Later, a US official, who asked to remain anonymous, confirmed that the next round of talks will begin on February 1, according to news agencies AFP and Reuters.
The United Arab Emirates Foreign Ministry announced that the two-day talks aimed to promote dialogue and find political solutions to the crisis.
As Kiev and other cities face power and heating shortages following Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, officials in the capital have announced that one person has been killed and dozens injured in attacks during the negotiations.
The head of the Military Administration in Kiev, Tymur Tkachenko, said that casualties from Russian drone strikes had been recorded in the capital, where four people were injured. And in the second largest city, Kharkiv, the regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said at least 27 people had been injured.
According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia has launched nearly 400 missiles and drones in these attacks. About 80 percent of Ukraine is facing a power shortage.
In recent days, there has been increased diplomatic activity from Switzerland to the Kremlin, although many issues constitute an obstacle to a peace agreement due to the parties' concrete positions.
The Ukrainian president said in Davos on Thursday that a possible peace deal is almost ready. However, very sensitive issues, especially those related to the Ukrainian territories of Donbas and Donetsk, which Russia claims, have not yet been resolved.
A day before the talks in Abu Dhabi began, Witkoff and Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. After the four-hour meeting, Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said that Vladimir Putin had stressed Russia's sincere commitment to resolving the crisis in Ukraine through political and diplomatic means. However, he added that "reaching a lasting agreement would be impossible without addressing the territorial issue, based on the formula agreed in Anchorage."
Last August, Trump and Putin met in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss ending the war, reaching an agreement that would allow Russia to take the Donbas region and maintain control over the Crimean peninsula, which it illegally annexed in 2014.
The Trump administration has been steadily increasing pressure on Ukraine, despite widespread concerns that it is tilting in Russia’s favor. Nearly four years after the start of the war, Russia controls about 20 percent of what is officially recognized as Ukrainian territory. That includes the Luhansk region and parts of Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia.