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KYIV – In a bid to resolve the ongoing conflict, representatives from Moscow and Kyiv convened in Abu Dhabi for a second day of peace talks, facilitated by the United States. These negotiations come amid intensified Russian assaults on Ukraine’s power infrastructure during the winter and a significant increase in civilian casualties over the past year.
Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, commented on the proceedings, stating, “We are continuing with the same approach as yesterday: trilateral consultations, group discussions, and aligning our positions further.”
The discussions in the UAE capital were attended by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, as noted by Umerov. Their presence follows previous talks held in the same location, as the Trump administration remains keen on mediating a resolution between the two nations.
Additionally, General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, participated in the talks. A spokesperson for the general confirmed his involvement, preferring to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the situation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on allied nations to exert pressure on Moscow to cease its full-scale invasion, which began on February 24, 2022. Zelenskyy emphasized the necessity for security assurances to prevent any future Russian aggression post-conflict.
Ukrainians must feel that there is genuine progress toward peace and “not toward a scenario in which the Russians exploit everything to their advantage and continue their strikes,” Zelenskyy said on social media late Wednesday.
Fighting has continued in parallel with the talks. Russia has hammered Ukraine’s electricity network, aiming to deny civilians power and weaken their appetite for the fight, while a grinding war of attrition continues along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line snaking along eastern and southern parts of Ukraine.
Last year saw a 31% increase in Ukrainian civilian casualties compared with 2024, the advocacy group Human Rights Watch said in a report published Wednesday.
Almost 15,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and just over 40,000 injured since the start of the war through last December, according to the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
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Emma Burrows in London contributed to this report.
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