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Ukrainian and Russian negotiators began a 2nd circular of U.S.-brokered talks successful Abu Dhabi connected Wednesday (February 4, 2026), seeking to beforehand efforts to extremity Europe’s biggest struggle since World War Two.
The two-day trilateral meetings travel aft President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia had exploited a U.S.-backed vigor truce past week to stockpile munitions, attacking Ukraine with a grounds fig of ballistic missiles connected Tuesday (February 3).
“Another circular of negotiations has begun successful Abu Dhabi. The dialog process started successful a trilateral format — Ukraine, the United States, and Russia,” Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s apical negotiator, said connected the Telegram app.
Mr. Umerov said that teams would besides conscionable successful abstracted groups to sermon circumstantial dialog tracks and would past travel up with a associated gathering to synchronise positions.
Major differeneces stay connected cardinal points
Over the past year, U.S. President Donald Trump’s medication has pushed some Kyiv and Moscow to find a compromise to extremity the four-year conflict, triggered by Russia’s 2022 penetration of Ukraine, but the 2 sides stay acold isolated connected cardinal points contempt respective rounds of talks with U.S. officials.
The astir delicate issues are Moscow’s demands that Kyiv springiness up onshore it inactive controls and the destiny of the Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness plant, Europe’s largest, which sits successful a Russian-occupied area.
Moscow wants Kyiv to propulsion its troops retired of each of the eastbound Donetsk region, including a loop of heavy fortified cities regarded as 1 of Ukraine’s strongest defences, arsenic a precondition for immoderate deal.
Ukraine said the struggle should beryllium frozen on the existent beforehand enactment and has rejected immoderate unilateral pullback of its forces.
Russia presently occupies astir 20% of Ukraine’s nationalist territory, including Crimea and parts of the eastbound Donbas portion seized earlier the 2022 invasion.
Military analysts person said that Russian forces person gained astir 1.5% of Ukrainian territory since the commencement of 2024.
Polls amusement that the bulk of Ukrainians reason a woody that hands Moscow land. Kyiv residents told Reuters on Wednesday (February 4) they were sceptical the caller circular of talks would bring immoderate large breakthroughs.
“Let’s anticipation that it volition alteration (something), of course. But I don’t judge it volition alteration thing now. We volition not springiness in, and they volition not springiness successful either,” Serhii, 38, a taxi driver, told Reuters.
The archetypal circular of talks was held successful the UAE past month, marking the archetypal nonstop nationalist negotiations betwixt Moscow and Kyiv.
