Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi: What you need to know

Ukrainian and Russian negotiators began the second round of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, according to Ukrainian officials.

Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said the process had started in a trilateral format involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia, with working groups also meeting separately on specific negotiation tracks ahead of a joint session to synchronise positions.

The second round of trilateral talks was originally expected to begin on 1 February but was postponed to 4–5 February, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later confirming the revised dates following coordination among the U.S., Russian and Ukrainian teams.

The timing of the talks has been overshadowed by a wave of drone and missile strikes that hit power and heating facilities across Ukraine, leaving large parts of the country struggling to cope in sub-zero temperatures.

Ukrainian officials said Russia launched hundreds of drones and more than 70 missiles in overnight attacks that damaged energy facilities, struck residential buildings and wounded at least 12 people. The barrage hit multiple regions, including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, knocking out heating and electricity in thousands of apartment blocks.

Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said over 1,000 residential buildings in the capital were left without heating, while officials in Kharkiv said around 270,000 residents were in unheated homes after a thermal power plant was badly damaged. Temperatures in parts of the country dropped to around minus 20 degrees Celsius, deepening concerns about humanitarian conditions.

The renewed strikes come despite a U.S.-backed pause aimed at halting attacks on energy infrastructure during winter and ongoing diplomatic efforts. Ukrainian officials say the scale and timing of the attacks raise serious questions about Moscow’s commitment to diplomacy, even as delegations prepare for talks in the United Arab Emirates.

• NATO chief inspects damaged Kyiv power plant after Russian overnight strikes

Zelenskyy accuses Russia of exploiting energy pause

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia used the U.S.-backed pause on energy strikes to stockpile weapons and prepare large-scale attacks instead of easing pressure on civilians.

“It was a deliberate attack against energy infrastructure, involving a record number of ballistic missiles,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that Ukraine is waiting for a response from Washington.

He said Moscow’s actions show Russia continues to “bet on war and the destruction of Ukraine” and does not take diplomacy seriously, warning that Ukraine’s negotiating approach would be adjusted accordingly.

Zelenskyy said the proposal to halt strikes on energy facilities came from the United States during diplomatic efforts and the winter period and that Russia’s actions undermine the credibility of any temporary understandings.

He also highlighted the impact on civilians, describing families enduring long power cuts and freezing conditions. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that Russia’s winter campaign against energy infrastructure is aimed at breaking morale and placing pressure on Kyiv ahead of negotiations.

Kyiv has said it remains ready for substantive talks but insists diplomacy cannot succeed if attacks on civilian infrastructure continue. Ukrainian officials argue that any ceasefire or pause must be credible, verifiable and reciprocal.

Zelenskyy has also urged Ukraine’s Western partners to increase pressure on Moscow, including through sanctions and military assistance, saying only sustained international backing can force Russia to take negotiations seriously.

• Russia hits Ukraine’s energy sector despite diplomacy, Zelenskyy says

What happened in the first round of talks

The first round of trilateral talks, held in Abu Dhabi in January, brought together U.S., Ukrainian and Russian delegations for the first direct public negotiations under the Trump administration’s peace framework.

Both Moscow and Kyiv described those talks as constructive but acknowledged that no agreement was reached on the most sensitive issues, including territory and long-term security guarantees.

Ukrainian officials said the January meetings focused on establishing channels for dialogue, outlining red lines and discussing potential confidence-building measures, rather than negotiating a final settlement. U.S. officials have said the January meetings were intended to test whether diplomacy could gain traction and to establish channels for dialogue, rather than to negotiate a final settlement.

The second round of trilateral talks comes with core disagreements still firmly in place, particularly over territory and security guarantees.

Another sensitive issue in the talks is the fate of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, which Kyiv says must return to Ukrainian control under any settlement. Polls cited by Ukrainian officials show the majority of Ukrainians oppose any deal that hands Moscow land in exchange for peace, reflecting strong domestic resistance to territorial concessions.

Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine cede the remaining parts of the eastern Donetsk region under Kyiv’s control, as well as international recognition of other territories Russia claims to have annexed. Ukraine has rejected these demands and says it will not withdraw its forces unilaterally.

Kyiv says any peace deal must include credible U.S. and Western security guarantees to prevent future Russian aggression, while Russia has ruled out the deployment of NATO forces in Ukraine after the war and has sought limits on the size of Ukraine’s military.

Russia currently occupies about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory and has warned it could attempt to seize the rest of Donetsk if diplomacy fails. Military analysts say Russian forces have made incremental gains since the start of 2024, while Kyiv residents have voiced scepticism that the latest talks will produce a breakthrough.

With battlefield lines largely static, winter conditions worsening and both sides continuing long-range attacks, the Abu Dhabi talks are seen as an important test of whether diplomacy can gain traction after nearly four years of war.

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