Web Desk (MNN); Envoys from Russia and Ukraine held another round of US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday aimed at ending the nearly four-year-long war, even as a Russian attack using cluster munitions killed seven people at a market in eastern Ukraine.
According to Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council chief Rustem Umerov, the delegations from Moscow and Kyiv were joined by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Umerov, who attended the meeting, said the first day of talks was substantive and focused on practical steps and concrete solutions.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that while a breakthrough might take time, the Trump administration had made significant progress in negotiations over the past year. However, he noted that the remaining issues were the most difficult and that fighting continued on the ground.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to provide details of the discussions, saying Moscow did not plan to comment on their outcome. He said Russia remained open to a peaceful settlement but would continue its military campaign until Ukraine met its demands.
Officials said previous talks held in Abu Dhabi last month produced limited progress but no major breakthrough. The current round coincides with the expiry of the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between Russia and the United States, raising the possibility of an extension or renegotiation to avoid a new arms race.
The talks were held amid growing anger in Ukraine over intensified Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. A massive overnight bombardment earlier this week involved hundreds of drones and a record number of ballistic missiles, injuring at least 10 people, despite expectations of a temporary pause in strikes on power facilities.
Ukraine is facing one of its coldest winters in years, with temperatures dropping to minus 20 degrees Celsius. Around 60 foreign ambassadors visited a heavily damaged thermal power plant in Kyiv that had supplied heating to nearly half a million people.
Russia said its forces targeted energy facilities due to their alleged links to Ukraine’s military effort. Confusion remained over the duration of a promised pause in attacks, with differing accounts from US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities said more than 200 repair teams were working to restore power in Kyiv, though over 1,100 apartment buildings remained without heating.
On Wednesday, a Russian strike using cluster munitions hit a busy market in the town of Druzhkivka, killing seven people and wounding 15 others. The attack cast doubt on prospects for progress in the peace talks, with regional officials dismissing Russian ceasefire rhetoric as meaningless.
Russia also launched more than 100 drones overnight, while separate strikes in central and southern Ukraine caused additional civilian casualties and widespread damage to residential areas.
