Russia and Ukraine envoys meet in Abu Dhabi for US-brokered talks

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Envoys from Russia and Ukraine met successful Abu Dhabi connected Wednesday for different circular of U.S.-brokered talks connected ending the astir four-year war, a Ukrainian negotiator said.

The delegations from Moscow and Kyiv were joined successful the United Arab Emirates by U.S. officials, Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council chief, who was contiguous astatine the meeting, said connected societal media.

Umerov said the planned two-day negotiations started with each 3 delegations present, aft which negotiators were to interruption into groups according to topics and past conscionable arsenic a afloat radical again astatine the end.

The American squad was owed to see peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who besides attended past month’s meeting, according to the White House.

The existent talks besides coincide with the expiry of the past remaining atomic arms pact betwixt Russia and the United States connected Thursday. Trump and Putin could widen the presumption of the pact oregon renegotiate its conditions successful an effort to forestall a caller atomic arms race.

Last month’s discussions successful the Emirati capital, portion of a U.S. propulsion to extremity the fighting, yielded immoderate advancement but nary breakthrough connected cardinal issues, officials said.

Russia targets Ukrainian vigor infrastructure

The Abu Dhabi talks were held amid Ukrainian outrage implicit large Russian attacks connected its vigor system, which person occurred each wintertime since Russia launched its all-out penetration of its neighbour connected Feb. 24 2022.

A immense Russian bombardment overnight from Monday to Tuesday included hundreds of drones and a grounds 32 ballistic missiles, wounding astatine slightest 10 people. This came contempt Ukraine’s knowing that Russian President Vladimir Putin had told Trump helium would temporarily halt strikes connected Ukraine’s powerfulness grid.

Ukrainian civilians are struggling with 1 of the coldest winters successful years, which saw temperatures astir minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit).

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov wouldn’t connection immoderate details connected the Abu Dhabi talks and said that Moscow wasn’t readying immoderate remark connected their results.

He said that “the doors for a peaceful colony are open,” but noted that Moscow volition property its subject enactment until Kyiv meets its demands.

Russia is hitting Ukraine’s vigor facilities due to the fact that its equipped forces judge the targets are associated with Kyiv’s subject effort, Peskov said.

There has been a deficiency of clarity astir however agelong Putin promised to observe a intermission connected powerfulness grid attacks, and Moscow hasn't stopped its aerial attacks connected different targets successful Ukraine contempt a Kremlin authoritative saying past week that Russia had agreed to halt strikes connected Kyiv for a week until Feb. 1.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said precocious Tuesday hardly 4 days had passed and a caller question of attacks targeted Ukraine's powerfulness grid, accusing Putin of duplicity.

Trump claimed Tuesday that Putin “kept his word” connected the impermanent pause. Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was “unfortunately unsurprised” by Moscow’s resumption of attacks.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington deliberation tank, said the developments were portion of Moscow’s negotiating strategy.

“The Kremlin volition apt effort to represent its adherence to this short-term vigor strikes moratorium arsenic a important concession to summation leverage successful the upcoming bid talks, adjacent though the Kremlin utilized these fewer days to stockpile missiles for a larger onslaught package,” it said precocious Tuesday.

Overnight attacks

Russia launched 105 drones against Ukraine overnight, and aerial defenses changeable down 88 of them, the Ukrainian aerial unit said Wednesday. Strikes by 17 drones were recorded astatine 14 locations, arsenic good arsenic falling debris astatine 5 sites, it said.

In the cardinal Dnipropetrovsk region, a Russian onslaught connected a residential country killed a 68-year-old pistillate and a 38-year-old man, determination subject medication caput Oleksandr Hancha said.

The confederate metropolis of Odesa besides came nether a large-scale attack, determination subject medication caput Oleh Kiper said. About 20 residential buildings were damaged, with 4 radical rescued from nether the rubble, helium said.

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