Ukraine Condemns Russian Strikes as Peace Talks Continue in Abu Dhabi

Ukraine condemned deadly Russian attacks on Saturday, even as negotiators from Russia, Ukraine, and the United States met in Abu Dhabi for a second day to discuss a plan to end the nearly four-year-long war.

“Peace efforts? Diplomacy? For Ukrainians, this was another night of Russian terror,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said.

He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered a “brutal missile strike” while peace talks were underway, hitting both civilians and symbolically targeting the negotiation process.

President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Russia launched “over 370 attack drones and 21 missiles of various types” overnight.

The talks in Abu Dhabi, supported by the United States, began Friday and mark the first known direct contact between Ukrainian and Russian officials on the proposed peace plan. Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said discussions focused on “how to end Russia’s war and the next steps in the negotiation process.”

An early US draft of the plan faced criticism in Kyiv and Europe for leaning too closely toward Russia, while later versions drew pushback from Moscow over the idea of European peacekeepers.

A key issue for both sides remains control over the eastern Donbas region, as the war has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions, and devastated parts of Ukraine.