Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Ukraine and Russia ended a second day of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Saturday without a deal, but both sides said they were open to further discussions amid overnight Russian airstrikes that knocked out power for over a million Ukrainians.
Talks end without announced agreement
Statements after the conclusion of the talks did not indicate that any agreements had been reached, but Moscow and Kyiv both said they were open to further dialogue.
“The central focus of the discussions was the possible parameters for ending the war,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on X after the meeting.
Zelenskiy said that “as a result of the meetings held over these days, all sides agreed to report back in their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders,” adding that further meetings could take place as early as next week.
A UAE government spokesperson said there was face-to-face engagement between Ukraine and Russia and that the talks addressed “outstanding elements” of Washington’s peace framework.
A spokesperson for Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, told reporters just before 5 p.m. Abu Dhabi time (1300 GMT) that the discussions had concluded.
Russian strikes hit Kyiv and Kharkiv
Hundreds of Russian drones and missiles bombarded Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and its second largest city Kharkiv.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who was not at the talks, accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of acting “cynically”.
“This barbaric attack once again proves that Putin’s place is not at (U.S. President Donald Trump’s) Board of Peace, but in the dock of the special tribunal,” Sybiha wrote on X.
“His missiles hit not only our people, but also the negotiation table.”
What developments will you be watching for in any further Ukraine-Russia talks next week?