LONDON — American, Ukrainian and Russian representatives gathered once more within the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday for the following spherical of trilateral talks relating to a potential finish to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor, the fourth anniversary of which can come later this month.
The talks in Abu Dhabi are anticipated to run till Thursday. The negotiations are the second instalment of the trilateral format, the primary additionally having been held in Abu Dhabi final month.
Each Moscow and Kyiv described the primary spherical of trilateral talks as constructive, however key areas of disagreement stay.
Amongst them are the destiny of Ukraine’s jap Donbas area, which Russia has partially occupied and from which Moscow is demanding a full Ukrainian army withdrawal — a proposal rejected by Kyiv.
Management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Energy Plant in southern Ukraine — occupied by Moscow’s forces since March 2022 — can be an necessary level of dialogue.
On this picture constituted of video supplied by Russian Protection Ministry Press Service on Feb. 4, 2026, Russian rocket artillery fires towards Ukrainian positions at an undisclosed location in Ukraine.
AP
One other unresolved difficulty is the character of post-war Western safety ensures for Ukraine, with out which Kyiv says Moscow will have the ability to launch a brand new spherical of aggression sooner or later. The binding involvement of American forces in these safety ensures is a key Ukrainian demand.
Russia has constantly mentioned it is not going to settle for the deployment of any NATO troops in Ukraine post-war. However following talks with U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace envoy Steve Witkoff over the weekend, Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev mentioned, “Some safety ensures in some kind could also be acceptable.”
Rustem Umerov, the secretary of Ukraine’s Nationwide Safety and Protection Council and the chief of Kyiv’s delegation, mentioned in a put up to Telegram on Wednesday that the most recent spherical of talks had been underway.
“The negotiation course of began in a trilateral format — Ukraine, USA and Russia,” Umerov wrote. “Subsequent, work will proceed in separate teams by areas, after which a repeated joint synchronization of positions is deliberate.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, in the meantime, informed journalists on Wednesday that Moscow “is continuous its particular army operation. The door to a peaceable settlement is open, and Russia stays open,” he mentioned, as quoted by Russia’s state-run Tass information company.
The delegations gathered on Wednesday as Ukraine reeled from a serious Russian drone and missile bombardment on Monday evening, which Ukrainian officers mentioned triggered severe injury to the nation’s power grid.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky gestures as he delivers a press convention with Secretary Basic of NATO following their assembly in Kyiv, February 3, 2026.
Genya Savilov/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
This winter has seen intense and sustained Russian strikes on Ukrainian power infrastructure, prompting common blackouts for hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians amid below-freezing temperatures.
On Thursday, Trump mentioned he had secured a week-long Russian dedication to halt assaults on Ukrainian power targets. Moscow confirmed the settlement, however mentioned the pause solely prolonged till Sunday. Kyiv mentioned it could additionally pause assaults on Russian power infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy steered on Tuesday that Monday evening’s strikes violated the supposed week-long pause. The Ukrainian president additionally mentioned, “The work of our negotiating staff will probably be adjusted accordingly.”
Trump, although, informed reporters in a while Tuesday that the settlement solely stretched from “Sunday to Sunday,” including that Russian President Vladimir Putin “saved his phrase on that.”
“You realize, one week is, we’ll take something as a result of it is actually, actually chilly over there. Nevertheless it was on Sunday and he went from Sunday to Sunday,” Trump mentioned.
Zelenskyy mentioned on Tuesday, “Final evening, Russia broke its promise, meaning both Russia now believes per week has fewer than 4 days as a substitute of seven, or it’s genuinely betting solely on struggle and easily waited for the coldest days of this winter.”
Individuals who don’t have any energy at dwelling following Russia’s air assaults wait in line to obtain free scorching meals in a residential neighbourhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photograph/Dan Bashakov)
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Zelenskyy additionally mentioned in a put up to Telegram that Kyiv is ready for “the response of the US of America to the Russian strikes.”
Zelenskyy steered that the assaults undermined any hope of profitable talks. “This additionally speaks volumes about every other guarantees Russia has made or would possibly nonetheless make. If their phrase does not maintain even now, what may be anticipated subsequent?” he mentioned in a put up to Telegram.
“They lied earlier than this struggle as effectively, and Russia launched the full-scale struggle, making an attempt to deceive everybody about their intentions and about Ukraine. Even now, in these particulars, in these agreements with the US, Russia resorts to deception once more,” Zelenskyy wrote.
Each Russia and Ukraine continued their long-range assaults in a single day into Wednesday.
Ukraine’s air pressure mentioned Russia launched 105 drones into the nation in a single day, of which 88 had been shot down or suppressed. Seventeen drones impacted throughout 14 places, the air pressure mentioned.
Firefighters work on the web site of the condo constructing hit by a Russian drone strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 3, 2026.
Sofia Gatilova/Reuters
Russia’s Protection Ministry, in the meantime, mentioned its forces shot down 24 Ukrainian drones in a single day.
