KYIV, Ukraine — Envoys from Russia and Ukraine met in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for another round of U.S.-brokered talks on ending the almost four-year war, a Ukrainian negotiator said.
The delegations from Moscow and Kyiv were joined in the United Arab Emirates by U.S. officials, Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council chief, who was present at the meeting, said on social media.
Mr. Umerov said the planned two-day negotiations started with all three delegations present, after which negotiators were to break into groups according to topics and then meet as a full group again at the end.
The American team was due to include Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who also attended last month’s meeting, according to the White House.
Last month’s discussions in the Emirati capital, part of a U.S. push to end the fighting, yielded some progress but no breakthrough on key issues, officials said.
The Abu Dhabi talks were held amid Ukrainian outrage over major Russian attacks on its energy system, which have occurred each winter since Russia launched its all-out invasion of its neighbor on Feb. 24, 2022.
A huge Russian bombardment overnight from Monday to Tuesday included hundreds of drones and a record 32 ballistic missiles, wounding at least 10 people. This came despite Ukraine’s understanding that Russian President Vladimir Putin had told Mr. Trump he would temporarily halt strikes on Ukraine’s power grid.
Ukrainian civilians are struggling with one of the coldest winters in years, which saw temperatures around minus 4 Fahrenheit.
Russia is hitting Ukraine’s energy facilities because its armed forces believe the targets are associated with Kyiv’s military effort, a Moscow spokesman said.
Mr. Trump said Tuesday at the White House that Mr. Putin had agreed to halt strikes for a week, through Feb. 1, and that the Russian leader had kept his word. But Mr. Zelenskyy said Tuesday that “barely four days have passed of the week Russia was asked to hold off,” before Ukraine was hit with fresh attacks.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr. Trump was “unfortunately unsurprised” by Moscow’s resumption of attacks.
On Wednesday, more than 200 repair crews were at work in Kyiv to restore power, the Ukrainian Energy Ministry said, adding that staff were exhausted and would be rotated. More than 1,100 apartment buildings in the capital were still without heating.
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