Overnight Russian strikes in Ukraine killed at least one person and injured 23 others, coinciding with ongoing peace talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States in Abu Dhabi.
Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko reported that one person was killed and four others wounded in drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital. In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, drone strikes injured 19 people, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
The talks in the United Arab Emirates, now in their second day, mark the first known engagement by former U.S. officials from the Trump administration directly with both countries to push for a resolution to the nearly four-year conflict.
The UAE foreign ministry said the discussions aim to “promote dialogue and identify political solutions to the crisis,” while the White House described Friday’s first day as productive.
Diplomatic efforts have increased recently, with meetings in Switzerland and Moscow, though major challenges remain, particularly over territorial disputes. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a Davos forum on Thursday that a peace deal is “nearly ready,” but key issues are still unresolved.
Just hours before the talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin held overnight meetings with Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to discuss a possible settlement. The Kremlin insists that Kyiv must withdraw troops from areas in eastern Ukraine that Russia annexed illegally but does not fully control, for any agreement to succeed.
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