Russia and Ukraine exchanged drone attacks targeting their capitals early on Thursday, as U.S. envoys prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow following two days of peace talks that ended without a breakthrough on major issues.
Explosions were heard in Kyiv, according to a witness, although there were no immediate reports confirming damage or casualties. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defences had intercepted five drones heading towards the Russian capital.
The attacks followed negotiations in Abu Dhabi that secured agreement on a prisoner exchange but failed to resolve disputes over territory and security arrangements. U.S. mediators are now preparing further discussions with both Moscow and Kyiv.
The renewed attacks highlighted the continuing hostilities despite diplomatic efforts to negotiate an end to the war.
Separately, the Russian-appointed management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant said a Ukrainian drone strike killed one of its employees at his home in Enerhodar, southeastern Ukraine.
The management said on Wednesday that the worker had returned home after completing his shift when the strike occurred.
It reported that 15 plant employees had been killed since April amid repeated attacks in the surrounding area.
Russia seized the Zaporizhzhia facility, Europe's largest nuclear power plant, during the opening weeks of its February 2022 war in Ukraine.
Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of military activity threatening the plant's safety.
The facility's Russian management said continued attacks on residential areas were worsening living conditions for employees and potentially affecting the plant's operational safety.
Although its six reactors are not generating electricity, the facility still requires external power to maintain cooling systems and prevent nuclear safety risks.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to meet Putin in Moscow on Thursday as Washington continues efforts to narrow differences between Russia and Ukraine.
Their visit follows the Abu Dhabi negotiations, where both sides agreed to a prisoner exchange but remained divided over territorial questions and broader security arrangements.
The discussions are also expected to address European participation in the negotiating process.
Kushner has said European partners must have a place at the negotiating table, reflecting their role in any future security arrangements.
Following the Moscow meeting, the U.S. envoys plan to travel to Ireland for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is expected to attend a gathering of European leaders.
The planned meetings would give Washington an opportunity to discuss the outstanding issues separately with both sides.
The agreement on a prisoner exchange represents a limited outcome from the latest round of negotiations, but major obstacles remain.
Territorial disputes continue to divide Moscow and Kyiv, while the proposed framework for post-war security guarantees has yet to be settled.
The latest attacks on both capitals, alongside continued violence around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility, underscore the challenges facing U.S. mediation.
With talks moving from Abu Dhabi to Moscow and then Ireland, it remains to be seen whether the next round of diplomatic contacts can produce progress beyond the prisoner exchange.
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Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for their first formal talks in nine months. They did so with no agreement on what a ceasefire would be tied to or who gets to keep the land currently under Russian control.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a stark warning at this year's COP31 summit, saying the climate crisis iss advancing faster than governments' efforts to contain it.
At least 17 people have been reported killed in an explosion at a steel plant in western Türkiye, after a crane collapsed during maintenance work. The disaster has prompted a criminal investigation into what went wrong at the industrial facility.
U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said Washington believes the Russian President is prepared to reach a peace agreement under the right conditions, as U.S., Russian and Ukrainian delegations began trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday 10 November.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 11 November. Today, we cover Russia-Ukraine peace talks, political tensions in Washington, strikes in Spain, espionage allegations involving Nvidia's CEO, and climate negotiations at COP31 in Türkiye.
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