Russia on Wednesday warned it would continue its war against Ukraine unless Kyiv accepts Moscow’s demands, as US-mediated talks opened in Abu Dhabi amid renewed Russian missile and drone attacks.
The negotiations are the latest attempt to halt the war launched by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with both sides testing the waters on the possible compromise.
As the second round of trilateral talks began, the Kremlin signaled no shift in its position.
“Our position is well known,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “Until the Kyiv regime makes the appropriate decisions, the special military operation continues.”
Any hopes of progress were overshadowed by a major Russian barrage in the days leading up to the talks, which struck Ukraine’s energy system and cut power and heating as temperatures fell well below freezing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attacks showed Moscow was not serious about diplomacy.
“Russia’s strikes confirm that nothing has changed in Moscow,” Zelensky said Tuesday. “They continue to bet on war and the destruction of Ukraine.”
Zelensky said Russia used de-escalation steps proposed by the United States as a tactical pause to prepare a larger winter strike.
After earlier talks in Abu Dhabi Washington proposed refraining from attacks on energy infrastructure and discussing protection of other critical facilities.
According to Zelensky, Russia formally adhered only to part of the proposal: while strikes on energy facilities were halted, creating the impression that the agreement was holding, attacks on railways and other infrastructure continued.
Overnight Tuesday, Russia launched more than 450 drones and about 70 missiles at Kyiv and other cities, injuring at least nine people and cutting power to thousands of buildings as temperatures dropped below –20°C (–4°F).
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “kept his word” by refraining from strikes on Kyiv and major energy facilities for about a week, adding that he was “not surprised” to see Russia resume heavy attacks on Ukraine.
Territory remains the core dispute
Zelensky said last week that “fundamental difference” remains in how Ukraine and Russia envision ending the war.
Ukraine is seeking a ceasefire that preserves its territory. Russia, by contrast, is demanding concessions that Kyiv has rejected, including withdrawal from large parts of eastern Ukraine and recognition of territories seized since 2022 as Russian.
Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine’s territory and has threatened to seize the rest of the Donetsk region if talks fail. Ukraine still controls roughly one-fifth of Donetsk, including heavily fortified urban areas.
Moscow also claims the Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in full, despite only partially occupying them, and holds pockets of territory elsewhere in eastern Ukraine.