Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. officials held a second day of peace talks in Abu Dhabi Wednesday, following meetings that Kyiv and Washington described as constructive but have yet to yield a breakthrough.
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators gave no details after Monday's U.S.-brokered talks, the first between the two sides since February. Moscow and Kyiv began the talks far apart on settlement terms.
"We are starting the second day of the talks," Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's chief negotiator, said on Telegram. "First, there will be a trilateral format with the United States and Russia. After that, we will have a separate meeting with the European partners."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who like Russian President Vladimir Putin is not attending, said Monday's "substantive" discussions covered humanitarian and security issues. A potential summit of Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. leaders could be discussed Tuesday.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the first day of talks as very productive, without providing details. The second day of talks is the last scheduled for meetings.
Despite public optimism from President Donald Trump, there has been no sign of major compromises or that new issues are being discussed more than four and a half years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Russian forces control about one-fifth of Ukraine, but territory is not the only issue at stake. Others include future security guarantees, sought by both sides and Moscow's demands for Ukraine to adopt neutral status and not join NATO.
Each side said the other launched attacks overnight, despite ongoing peace talks.
Russia struck six large electricity substations in Ukraine's four central regions, Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said. Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz said Russian drones hit one of its facilities in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, causing a fire and damaging equipment.
Drone debris killed two people when it hit an apartment building in Russia's Smolensk region bordering Belarus, the TASS news agency reported, citing the regional governor.
Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces struck a cargo vessel in the Black Sea southwest of the Ukrainian port of Odesa, carrying weapons and military equipment for Ukraine.
Reuters could not verify the reports.
President Trump has intensified pressure on Kyiv to reach an agreement, saying Ukraine must end the war or face "a very bad thing."
Last week he said the war was close to settlement in a "big beautiful agreement," but he has frequently predicted breakthroughs that have not materialized.
The new American drive for an agreement has galvanized European officials to push for a place at the negotiating table to seek an end to Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Tuesday stressed Moscow's preference for negotiating a broad European security framework before addressing the specifics of the war.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said broader security talks should occur only after a ceasefire. Lavrov rejected a truce, saying Europeans sought breathing space for Ukraine.
The Kremlin said Wednesday the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi was not in contact with European representatives, and no such contacts were planned.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin is constantly briefed by the Russian delegation on the talks.
Publicly, there has been no sign that Putin will drop his demand that Ukraine surrender the eastern Donbas region before a peace agreement is struck.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly refused to hand over land Ukrainian troops died defending.
Russian advances on the front lines have slowed this year, but Moscow is pounding Ukrainian cities and energy sites, while Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure.
