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Peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia resumed in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, as the United States pushed for a new European security framework to help end the conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “happy” with the changed approach taken by American mediators during the first day of talks.
US Envoys Lead Peace Talks in Abu Dhabi
President Donald Trump’s envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, brought both warring sides together for several hours of negotiations on Tuesday. Kushner told delegates that Washington had “narrowed the gaps” between Ukraine and Russia, though he offered no specific details. He also expressed hope that the talks could move toward a “solution” to what he described as Europe’s worst conflict since World War II.
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The second round of talks began at noon local time on Wednesday, or 8:00am GMT. Both delegations returned to the table as diplomatic pressure mounted to reach a breakthrough.
Military Strikes Continue Alongside Diplomacy
Meanwhile, fighting continued on multiple fronts. Russia’s defence ministry said its forces struck a cargo vessel in the Black Sea, southwest of Odesa. The ministry claimed the ship carried weapons and military equipment for Ukraine’s armed forces. Russian drones also hit three electricity substations overnight in Ukraine’s Kryvyi Rih and Odesa regions.
In Russia, drone debris killed two people after striking an apartment building in the Smolensk region, which borders Belarus. TASS news agency cited regional governor Vasily Anokhin in reporting the deaths.
A separate drone attack sparked a fire at Ust-Luga, a major Russian oil export port on the Baltic Sea. Leningrad regional Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko confirmed the attack on Telegram, describing Ust-Luga as one of Russia’s most important western oil hubs. He said teams worked to extinguish the fire. Earlier that same morning, Russian air defences shot down 92 drones over the Leningrad region. The area is home to key ports and the Kirishi oil refinery, Russia’s second-largest.
Spy Arrests and Broader Diplomatic Context
Russia’s Federal Security Service announced on Wednesday that it arrested two people it described as agents of Polish intelligence. The FSB said both individuals gathered information on military facilities in the Kaliningrad region. In addition, authorities issued warnings to seven Polish citizens and barred them from entering Russia over alleged contacts with Polish security services.
Beyond Abu Dhabi, Zelensky called on Europe to appoint its own representative to the peace process before the end of the month. Top diplomats from the Group of Seven industrialised democracies also gathered in Paris, where differences emerged over global crises and questions about Trump’s foreign policy direction following his Republican Party’s losses in the US midterm elections. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Tuesday that a Russian victory in Ukraine would likely encourage further territorial aggression, including against NATO member states.
