Ukraine, Russia wrap 'productive' first day of US-led peace talks in Abu Dhabi
Envoys from Russia and Ukraine have met in Abu Dhabi for new round of US-brokered talks to end the conflict.
Ukrainian and Russian officials have wrapped up a “productive” first day of new US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi that seek to advance efforts to end the almost four-year war.
The two-day trilateral meetings come after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had exploited an energy truce last week to stockpile munitions, attacking Ukraine with a record number of ballistic missiles on Tuesday.
“The work was substantive and productive, focused on concrete steps and practical solutions,” Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, wrote on X.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Shortly after the talks began, Russian forces struck a crowded market in eastern Ukraine with cluster munitions, killing at least seven people and wounding 15, the Donetsk region’s governor Vadym Filashkin said.
Russia occupies about 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas region seized before the 2022 invasion.
“Russia is not winning its war against Ukraine,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told online media outlet Liga on Tuesday.
He argued that Russia was paying a heavy price in terms of battlefield casualties and economic harm for small territorial advances.
Military analysts have said Russian forces have gained about 1.5 per cent of Ukrainian territory since the start of 2024.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Wednesday its forces had taken control of the settlements of Staroukrainka and Stepanivka in eastern Ukraine, the TASS news agency reported.
The first round of talks was held in the UAE last month, marking the first direct public negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
with AP
