Russia, Ukraine Envoys Meet for Talks  02/04 06:07

   

   KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Envoys from Russia and Ukraine met in Abu Dhabi on 
Wednesday for another round of U.S.-brokered talks on ending the almost 
four-year war, a Ukrainian negotiator said.

   The delegations from Moscow and Kyiv were joined in the United Arab Emirates 
by U.S. officials, Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's National Security and Defense 
Council chief, who was present at the meeting, said on social media.

   Umerov said the planned two-day negotiations started with all three 
delegations present, after which negotiators were to break into groups 
according to topics and then meet as a full group again at the end.

   The American team was due to include special envoy Steve Witkoff and 
President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who also attended last 
month's meeting, according to the White House.

   The current talks also coincide with the expiry of the last remaining 
nuclear arms pact between Russia and the United States on Thursday. Trump and 
Putin could extend the terms of the treaty or renegotiate its conditions in an 
effort to prevent a new nuclear arms race.

   Last month's discussions in the Emirati capital, part of a U.S. push to end 
the fighting, yielded some progress but no breakthrough on key issues, 
officials said.

   Russia targets Ukrainian energy infrastructure

   The Abu Dhabi talks were held amid Ukrainian outrage over major Russian 
attacks on its energy system, which have occurred each winter since Russia 
launched its all-out invasion of its neighbor on Feb. 24 2022.

   A huge Russian bombardment overnight from Monday to Tuesday included 
hundreds of drones and a record 32 ballistic missiles, wounding at least 10 
people. This came despite Ukraine's understanding that Russian President 
Vladimir Putin had told Trump he would temporarily halt strikes on Ukraine's 
power grid.

   Ukrainian civilians are struggling with one of the coldest winters in years, 
which saw temperatures around minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit).

   Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov wouldn't offer any details on the Abu Dhabi 
talks and said that Moscow wasn't planning any comment on their results.

   He said that "the doors for a peaceful settlement are open," but noted that 
Moscow will press its military action until Kyiv meets its demands.

   Russia is hitting Ukraine's energy facilities because its armed forces 
believe the targets are associated with Kyiv's military effort, Peskov said.

   There has been a lack of clarity about how long Putin promised to observe a 
pause on power grid attacks, and Moscow hasn't stopped its aerial attacks on 
other targets in Ukraine despite a Kremlin official saying last week that 
Russia had agreed to halt strikes on Kyiv for a week until Feb. 1.

   Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Tuesday barely four days 
had passed and a fresh wave of attacks targeted Ukraine's power grid, accusing 
Putin of duplicity.

   Trump claimed Tuesday that Putin "kept his word" on the temporary pause. 
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was 
"unfortunately unsurprised" by Moscow's resumption of attacks.

   The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, said the 
developments were part of Moscow's negotiating strategy.

   "The Kremlin will likely attempt to portray its adherence to this short-term 
energy strikes moratorium as a significant concession to gain leverage in the 
upcoming peace talks, even though the Kremlin used these few days to stockpile 
missiles for a larger strike package," it said late Tuesday.

   Overnight attacks

   Russia launched 105 drones against Ukraine overnight, and air defenses shot 
down 88 of them, the Ukrainian air force said Wednesday. Strikes by 17 drones 
were recorded at 14 locations, as well as falling debris at five sites, it said.

   In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, a Russian strike on a residential area 
killed a 68-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man, regional military 
administration head Oleksandr Hancha said.

   The southern city of Odesa also came under a large-scale attack, regional 
military administration head Oleh Kiper said. About 20 residential buildings 
were damaged, with four people rescued from under the rubble, he said.