Russia Continues Major Attacks as Ukraine-Russia-US Trilateral Peace Talks Unfold

Russia launched a fresh wave of intense aerial attacks on Ukraine — described by Ukrainian officials as the largest overnight assault of 2026 so far — while rare trilateral peace talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States continued in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The two-day negotiations — the first of their kind since Russia’s full-scale invasion began nearly four years ago — brought senior Ukrainian, Russian and U.S. representatives together to discuss possible pathways toward ending the conflict. Delegations are focusing on longstanding disputes over territory, particularly the status of regions such as Donbas, which Russia demands Kyiv cede as part of any settlement.

Despite the diplomatic effort in the UAE, Russian forces intensified their campaign on the ground. Ukrainian authorities reported that missiles, drones and explosive ordnance struck major urban centres, including Kyiv and Kharkiv, resulting in civilian casualties, widespread damage to energy infrastructure and large power outages amid freezing winter conditions.

Ukrainian leaders sharply criticized the timing of the attacks, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of undermining the peace process by continuing offensive operations even as negotiators sat at the table. Kyiv says the strikes on power grids and heating systems demonstrate a lack of genuine intent to end hostilities and highlight the humanitarian cost of the war.

Moscow, meanwhile, has signalled that its military objectives and territorial demands — especially control over occupied parts of eastern Ukraine — remain central to its negotiating stance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized Kyiv’s refusal to cede sovereign territory and reiterated that any sustainable peace must be built on Ukraine’s terms.

U.S. mediators have described portions of the discussions as “productive,” but both Kyiv and Washington maintain that a breakthrough will require significant compromises and a demonstrated readiness from Russia to halt its offensive operations. The talks are scheduled to continue into Saturday, with officials hoping to clarify points of agreement and narrow outstanding differences at the negotiating table.