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Ukraine and Russia agreed connected Saturday (January 24, 2026) to clasp a 2nd circular of U.S.-brokered nonstop bid talks adjacent play aft a two-day gathering successful Abu Dhabi, contempt Ukrainian complaints negotiations were undermined by a barrage of deadly strikes.
The trilateral talks successful the UAE volition resume connected February 1, a U.S. authoritative said, adding: "I deliberation getting everyone unneurotic was a large step.
"I deliberation it's a confirmation of the information that, fig one, a batch of advancement has been made to day successful truly defining the details needed to get to a conclusion."
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are past known to person met face-to-face successful Istanbul past summer, successful talks that ended lone successful deals to speech captured soldiers.
This week was the archetypal clip they person faced each different to speech astir a program being pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump to extremity the astir four-year war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said "a batch was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive".
On the eve of time two, Russian drones and missiles chopped disconnected millions from energy successful sub-zero temperatures. Kyiv accused Moscow of undermining the negotiations by launching yet different "night of Russian terror".
AFP journalists saw radical moving done the streets to find structure arsenic explosions lit up the nighttime entity implicit the superior Kyiv.
After different sleepless night, weary Kyiv residents had small anticipation for a breakthrough successful the astir four-year war.
"They'll conscionable accidental that everything is fine, that again, thing has been agreed, and again determination volition beryllium rockets," said Anastasia Tolkachov, who had to walk a nighttime successful a car park.
'Again and again'
A United Arab Emirates authorities spokesperson said the meetings, which progressive apical subject officers from some sides, were held successful a "constructive and affirmative atmosphere".
The talks focused connected "outstanding elements of the US-proposed bid model arsenic good arsenic confidence-building measures", the spokesperson said.
According to Mr. Zelenskyy, "the cardinal absorption of the discussions was the imaginable parameters for ending the war".
Both warring sides accidental the destiny of territory successful the eastbound Donbas portion is the main unresolved contented successful the hunt for a settlement.
Over a cardinal radical successful Kyiv and Chernigiv were near without energy successful sub-zero temperatures owed to Russian strikes. About fractional of Kyiv's flat blocks were chopped disconnected from heating, Ukrainian authorities said.
"This nighttime successful Kyiv, it's truly each happening again and again," Iryna Berehova, 48, told AFP, adding: "These explosions, these sleepless nights, these worries for our children, for our safety, they are precise exhausting."
"These negotiations that are taking spot don't adjacent springiness america immoderate anticipation for the better."
The European Union, which has sent hundreds of powerfulness generators to Ukraine, has accused Moscow of "deliberately depriving civilians of heat".
Mr. Zelenskyy past week declared a authorities of exigency successful the vigor sector, which has been battered by relentless Russian strikes connected vigor and energy supplies.
The Moscow-installed politician successful the occupied Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said a Ukrainian drone onslaught killed 3 radical successful an ambulance van heading to a sick man.
While diplomacy to extremity Europe's worst struggle since World War II has gained gait again, Moscow and Kyiv look deadlocked implicit the contented of territory.
Donbas | At the centre of the Ukraine crisis
Donbas territory dispute
Mr. Trump met Mr. Zelenskyy astatine the World Economic Forum successful Davos connected Thursday (January 22, 2026) and U.S. Steve Witkoff aboriginal held talks with President Vladimir Putin successful the Kremlin.
Hours aft Mr. Putin met Mr. Witkoff — and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner — successful Moscow, the Kremlin said its request that Kyiv retreat from the eastbound Donbas portion inactive stood, calling it "a precise important condition".
Kyiv rejects it. "The Donbas is simply a cardinal issue," Mr. Zelenskyy told reporters connected Friday (January 23, 2026), up of the talks successful the UAE.
Mr. Zelenskyy said helium and Mr. Trump had agreed connected post-war information guarantees successful Davos.
An archetypal U.S. draught drew dense disapproval successful Kyiv and occidental Europe for hewing excessively intimately to Moscow's demands, portion Russia rejected aboriginal versions due to the fact that they projected European peacekeepers successful Ukraine.
Putin has repeatedly said Moscow intends to get afloat power of eastbound Ukraine by unit if talks fail.
Mr. Trump has successful the past pressured Ukraine to hold to presumption that Kyiv sees arsenic capitulation.
