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Ukraine has condemned a fresh wave of Russian attacks that killed one person and injured 23 others overnight, as peace talks with Russia and the United States resumed in Abu Dhabi. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the strikes as “brutal” and said the attacks hit not only civilians but also the peace process. He said the assault showed Russia was not serious about negotiations. According to officials, one person was killed and four others were wounded in drone attacks on the capital Kyiv. In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, 19 people were injured during heavy overnight strikes, local authorities said. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said three of the injured were taken to hospital. He also said critical infrastructure was damaged, leaving about 6,000 buildings without heating as temperatures remain below freezing. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia mainly targeted energy facilities during the attacks. In Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said a maternity hospital and a shelter for displaced people were damaged. The attacks came as delegations from Ukraine, Russia and the US held a second day of talks in Abu Dhabi, the first known trilateral discussions since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said the talks focused on ways to end the war and move toward a lasting and dignified peace. However, Ukrainian officials said the key issue of territory remains unresolved. Russia currently controls about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, including parts of the eastern Donbas region. Moscow wants Ukraine to give up more land, a demand Kyiv has rejected.   With inputs from BBC

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the future of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region will be a central issue as negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States hold talks in Abu Dhabi aimed at ending Russia’s nearly four-year full-scale invasion. The UAE foreign ministry said the talks, which began Friday and continue Saturday, are intended “to promote dialogue and identify political solutions to the crisis.” The White House described the first day of discussions as productive. Hours before the three-way talks opened, Russian President Vladimir Putin held overnight discussions on a possible settlement with US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The Kremlin reiterated that any peace deal would require Ukraine to withdraw its troops from eastern territories illegally annexed by Russia but not fully controlled. Zelenskyy said after meeting Trump on Thursday in Davos, Switzerland, that while the status of Russian-occupied land in eastern Ukraine remains unresolved, peace proposals are “nearly ready.” He also said he discussed with Trump the idea of establishing a Ukraine-controlled free trade zone in the east, calling it potentially positive for business. Friday marked the first known instance of Trump administration officials meeting simultaneously with representatives from both Ukraine and Russia. Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian delegation was updating him almost hourly. “They are discussing the parameters for ending the war,” Zelenskyy said in a late-night address. “The most important thing is whether Russia is ready to end the war it started.” He cautioned that it was too early to draw conclusions. The Kremlin described the talks as a security working group, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov again calling troop withdrawal from Donbas an “important condition.” Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said a lasting settlement would not be possible without resolving territorial issues, while Russian media reported discussions on buffer zones and control measures. US officials confirmed that Witkoff and Kushner were joined in Abu Dhabi by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and NATO’s top military commander, US Air Force Gen Alexus Grynkewich. Ukraine’s delegation includes senior security and military officials. Earlier in Davos, Zelenskyy met Trump for about an hour, describing the talks as productive. Trump later said both sides want a deal but that territorial boundaries remain the main obstacle. Russia currently controls about 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory, though gains have come at high military and economic cost. Ukraine continues to face financial strain, manpower shortages and dependence on Western military support. Zelenskyy also sharply criticised European allies, accusing them of slow decision-making, insufficient defence spending and reluctance to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. “Europe looks lost,” he said, warning that the continent risks repeating the same mistakes unless it takes stronger action.

Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least one person and injured 23 others overnight into Saturday, as negotiators from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States met in Abu Dhabi for a second day of talks aimed at ending Russia’s nearly four-year full-scale invasion. Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said one person was killed and four others wounded in Russian drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital. In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, drone strikes injured 19 people, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported Saturday. The attacks coincided with the continuation of three-way talks in the United Arab Emirates, marking the first known instance of officials from the Trump administration engaging directly with both countries to push for progress toward ending the conflict. The UAE foreign ministry said the talks are intended “to promote dialogue and identify political solutions to the crisis,” while the White House called Friday’s first day productive. Diplomatic activity has intensified in recent days, from Switzerland to Moscow, although major obstacles remain, particularly regarding territorial issues. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a Davos forum on Thursday that a potential peace deal is “nearly ready,” but key sticking points remain unresolved. Just hours before the talks began, Russian President Vladimir Putin held overnight discussions with Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on a Ukraine settlement. The Kremlin maintains that Kyiv must withdraw its troops from areas in the east that Russia illegally annexed but has yet to fully control for any deal to succeed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the first trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States could be a step toward ending the war, as negotiators head to Abu Dhabi. Zelensky said the status of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region will be the key issue at the talks, adding that different outcomes are possible. He said he hopes for a positive result. The meeting is expected to be the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 that all three sides take part in talks linked to a possible settlement. Zelensky said he discussed Donbas with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. He also said the two leaders finalised future US security guarantees for Ukraine if a deal is reached, and talked about additional air defence needs. The talks come after Russia’s President Vladimir Putin met Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow. The Kremlin described that discussion as useful and very frank. Speaking on Air Force One, Trump said he believed both Putin and Zelensky want to make a deal, but said it remains to be seen what happens. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported continued Russian strikes. Emergency services said four people, including a five-year-old boy, were killed in a drone attack in eastern Ukraine. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko again urged residents to consider leaving the city as thousands of buildings remain without heating during freezing temperatures.   With inputs from BBC

Russia carried out another large-scale drone and missile attack on Ukraine its second in four days, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday, once again targeting energy infrastructure during subzero conditions. The strikes appeared to dismiss U.S.-backed peace initiatives as Moscow’s invasion nears its fourth year. Russia unleashed a massive overnight aerial assault on Ukraine, firing nearly 300 drones along with 18 ballistic and seven cruise missiles across eight regions, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. One strike in the northeastern Kharkiv region hit a mail depot, killing four people and injuring at least 10 others. In the Kyiv region, hundreds of thousands of households were left without electricity as freezing weather gripped the country. Kyiv has endured subzero temperatures for more than two weeks, with daytime readings dropping to minus 12 degrees Celsius. Ice-coated streets, snow-covered sidewalks and the constant hum of generators underscored the city’s worsening energy crisis. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the latest strikes caused the most severe power outage the capital has experienced so far, leaving more than 500 residential buildings without central heating. Residents sought warmth wherever possible. Many gathered at government-run “Points of Invincibility,” temporary shelters offering food, heat and electricity. Olena Davydova, a Kyiv resident, said her family had gone nearly two days without power, forcing them to adapt by sharing beds for warmth, storing food outdoors and relying on candles at night. Elsewhere, friends and relatives crowded into apartments that still had electricity or hot water to charge phones, shower and share warm drinks. City authorities ordered daily hot meals for vulnerable residents and announced bonuses for utility workers laboring around the clock to restore essential services. Read More: Ukrainian drone strike kills one, injures three in Russian city of Voronezh The attack followed another large-scale Russian barrage just four days earlier, which included the rare use of a hypersonic missile. The United States condemned the renewed strikes as a dangerous escalation, accusing Moscow of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure to deprive Ukrainians of heat and water-a tactic Ukrainian officials call “weaponizing winter.” In response, Ukraine carried out drone strikes inside Russia, reportedly hitting a drone manufacturing facility in Taganrog. Russian officials said 11 Ukrainian drones were intercepted, though damage was reported. Independent verification of the claims was not possible.

Russian officials signaled in 2019 that they might be willing to ease their support for Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela if the United States allowed Russia a freer hand in Ukraine, former Trump national security adviser Fiona Hill told lawmakers, according to newly circulating accounts of her testimony. Hill said during a 2019 congressional hearing that Russian officials repeatedly floated a “very strange swap arrangement between Venezuela and Ukraine,” largely through public commentary and media, rather than formal diplomatic offers. They reportedly referenced the Monroe Doctrine, suggesting the U.S. should stay out of Europe’s affairs if Russia withdrew from what it viewed as America’s sphere of influence. Moscow’s then-ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, hinted that Russia would permit the United States to act freely in Venezuela if Washington reciprocated by not interfering in Ukraine, Hill said. She was dispatched to Moscow in 2019 to reject the proposal, telling Russian officials that “Ukraine and Venezuela are not related to each other.” At the time, the Trump administration supported Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president. Hill’s remarks have resurfaced on social media following the U.S. military operation that ousted Maduro earlier this month and complexifies perceptions of great-power rivalry. Hill has warned that recent U.S. actions could undermine Western criticism of Russia’s designs on Ukraine by normalizing interventionist behavior. The Trump administration contends its action in Venezuela is a lawful law enforcement operation. The Russian Foreign Ministry has condemned U.S. “aggression,” but President Vladimir Putin has not publicly commented on Hill’s account. 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin have pledged to further strengthen their ties and cooperation in the war against Ukraine, according to state media reports from both countries on Wednesday. The two leaders spoke by phone on Tuesday, days before Putin’s planned meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska. During the call, Putin praised the “bravery, heroism and self-sacrificing spirit” of North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region, North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Russia’s TASS news agency, citing the Kremlin, reported that Putin briefed Kim on his upcoming talks with Trump, scheduled for Friday in Alaska. KCNA’s account of the conversation did not mention the Trump meeting. Trump praises Intel CEO’s ‘amazing story’ days after demanding his resignation Kim expressed “full support” for all future measures by Russia’s leadership and discussed expanding cooperation “in all fields” under a strategic partnership agreement signed during their summit last year, KCNA said. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kim has prioritized strengthening relations with Moscow to break out of diplomatic isolation and align with countries challenging Washington. His government has rejected U.S. and South Korean calls to resume stalled talks on denuclearization, which collapsed in 2019 after a failed summit with Trump during his first term. South Korean intelligence estimates that North Korea has sent about 15,000 troops to Russia since last fall, along with large shipments of artillery and ballistic missiles, to support Moscow’s war effort. Pyongyang has also agreed to send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to the Kursk region, a deployment Seoul believes could take place soon.

European allies of Ukraine have announced a fresh military aid package worth €21 billion (£18bn; $24bn), underlining their commitment to supporting Kyiv during what they termed “a critical year” in the ongoing war. The pledges were made during a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) at NATO headquarters in Brussels, where ministers from 50 nations gathered to coordinate further assistance. The summit marked the group’s 27th session and focused heavily on strengthening Ukraine’s air defences, artillery capacity and drone warfare capabilities, BBC reports. Germany is contributing over half the total with a €11bn commitment spread across four years. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin would deliver a substantial package, including 100,000 artillery shells, 25 infantry fighting vehicles, 15 battle tanks, 100 ground surveillance radars and 120 man-portable air defence systems. Additionally, four IRIS-T air defence systems and 300 associated missiles will be dispatched to Ukraine. “Ukraine requires robust military capabilities. Only then can negotiations lead to a just and lasting peace,” Pistorius said. The United Kingdom and Norway also pledged a joint £450 million package to fund radar systems, anti-tank mines, vehicle repairs and an estimated hundreds of thousands of drones. This forms part of the UK's wider £4.5bn military commitment announced earlier this year. Spanish PM in China to boost ties amid Trump tariffs UK Defence Secretary John Healey emphasised that drones have transformed the battlefield. “In our assessment, 70 to 80 percent of combat casualties are now caused by drones,” he said, adding that Russia had dropped 10,000 glide bombs and launched up to 100 attack drones daily during the first quarter of 2025. European leaders framed the new aid as vital to countering any reduction in US involvement amid shifting priorities under Donald Trump. While US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth joined the meeting remotely, Pistorius clarified that this was due to scheduling conflicts, not diminished interest. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also joined virtually, while Defence Minister Rustem Umerov was present in Brussels. Umerov expressed gratitude to Europe for “assuming leadership on security assistance”.

The Trump administration lifted its suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine, and Kyiv signaled that it was open to a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia, pending Moscow’s agreement, American and Ukrainian officials said Tuesday following talks in Saudi Arabia. The administration's decision marked a sharp shift from only a week ago, when it imposed the measures in an apparent effort to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to enter talks to end the war with invading Russian forces. The suspension of U.S. assistance came days after Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump argued about the conflict in a tense White House meeting. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the U.S. delegation to the talks in Jeddah, said Washington would present the ceasefire offer to the Kremlin, which has so far opposed anything short of a permanent end to the conflict without accepting any concessions. “We’re going to tell them this is what’s on the table. Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking. And now it’ll be up to them to say yes or no," Rubio told reporters after the talks. “If they say no, then we’ll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here.” Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, added: "The Ukrainian delegation today made something very clear, that they share President Trump’s vision for peace.” Tuesday's discussions, which lasted for nearly eight hours, appeared to put to rest — for the moment at least — the animosity between Trump and Zelenskyy that erupted during the Oval Office meeting last month. Ukraine-US talks begin in KSA amid ongoing conflict Waltz said the negotiators “got into substantive details on how this war is going to permanently end,” including long-term security guarantees. And, he said, Trump agreed to immediately lift the pause in the supply of billions of dollars of U.S. military aid and intelligence sharing. Seeking a deal with Russia Trump said he hoped that an agreement could be solidified “over the next few days.” “I’ve been saying that Russia’s been easier to deal with so far than Ukraine, which is not supposed to be the way it is," Trump said later Tuesday. "But it is, and we hope to get Russia. But we have a full ceasefire from Ukraine. That’s good.” The Kremlin had no immediate comment on the U.S. and Ukrainian statements. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said only that negotiations with U.S. officials could take place this week. Trump 's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel later this week to Moscow, where he could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a person familiar with the matter but not authorized to comment publicly. The person cautioned that scheduling could change. Officials met in Saudi Arabia only hours after Russia shot down over 300 Ukrainian drones in Ukraine’s biggest attack since the Kremlin's full-scale invasion. Neither U.S. nor Ukrainian officials offered any comment on the barrage. Russia also launched 126 drones and a ballistic missile at Ukraine, the Ukrainian air force said, as part of Moscow’s relentless pounding of civilian areas. Zelenskyy renews calls for lasting peace In an address posted shortly after Tuesday's talks ended, Zelenskyy reiterated Ukraine’s commitment to a lasting peace, emphasizing that the country has sought an end to the war since its outset. “Our position is absolutely clear: Ukraine has strived for peace from the very first second of this war, and we want to do everything possible to achieve it as soon as possible — securely and in a way that ensures war does not return,” Zelenskyy said. Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak, who led the Ukrainian delegation, described the negotiations as positive. He said the two countries “share the same vision, and that we are moving in the same direction toward the just peace long awaited by all Ukrainians.” In Kyiv, Lena Herasymenko, a psychologist, accepts that compromises will be necessary to end the war, but she said they must be “reasonable.” Moscow faces ‘massive’ drone attack ahead of US-Ukraine peace talks “We had massive losses during this war, and we don’t know yet how much more we’ll have,” she told The Associated Press. “We are suffering every day. Our kids are suffering, and we don’t know how the future generation will be affected.” Oleksandr, a Ukrainian soldier who could give only his first name because of security restrictions, warned that Ukraine cannot let down its guard. “If there is a ceasefire, it would only give Russia time to increase its firepower, manpower, missiles and other arms. Then they would attack Ukraine again,” he said. Hawkish Russians push back against a ceasefire In Moscow, hawkish politicians and military bloggers spoke strongly against a prospective ceasefire, arguing that it would play into Kyiv’s hands and damage Moscow’s interests at a time when the Russian military has the advantage. “A ceasefire isn’t what we need,” wrote hardline ideologue Alexander Dugin. Viktor Sobolev, a retired general who is a member of the Russian parliament’s lower house, warned that a 30-day truce would allow Ukraine to beef up arms supplies and regroup its troops before resuming hostilities. Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin political commentator, suggested that Moscow could demand a halt on Western arms supplies to Ukraine as part of a ceasefire. “An embargo on arms supplies to Ukraine could be a condition for a truce,” he wrote. The Kremlin sticks to its conditions for peace Russia has not publicly offered any concessions. Putin has repeatedly declared that Moscow wants a comprehensive settlement, not a temporary truce. Russia has said it’s ready to cease hostilities on the condition that Ukraine drops its bid to join NATO and recognizes regions that Moscow occupies as Russian. Russia has captured nearly a fifth of Ukraine's territory. What to know ahead of the talks between the US and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia Russian forces have held the battlefield momentum for more than a year, though at a high cost in infantry and armor, and are pushing at selected points along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, especially in the eastern Donetsk region. Ukraine has invested heavily in developing its arms industry, especially high-tech drones that have reached deep into Russia.

President Donald Trump on Friday called for an "immediate" ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and cautioned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to pursue peace or risk losing U.S. support. Trump stated that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin, who initiated the invasion of Ukraine three years ago, is prepared to negotiate a peace agreement. Why Trump administration may want Ukraine’s minerals His remarks follow a tense Oval Office meeting where Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticized Zelenskyy for being "disrespectful" before unexpectedly canceling a planned minerals deal with Ukraine. In a Fox News interview, Zelenskyy maintained that Ukraine would not engage in peace talks with Russia until it receives security guarantees to prevent future attacks.