In the midst of ongoing talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States aimed at ending the war, Russia has launched a series of drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, resulting in the death of one person and the injury of 23 others.
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, reported that one person had died and four had been wounded following a “massive enemy attack.” Meanwhile, the mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, stated that 19 people had been injured during the sustained assault on the city. The strikes targeted critical infrastructure, leaving 6,000 buildings without heating as temperatures in Ukraine plummet below zero.
The attacks came as delegations from Russia, Ukraine, and the US were meeting in Abu Dhabi for the first trilateral talks since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour in 2022. A source has informed the BBC that some progress has been made, but the key issue of territorial control remains unresolved.
Russia currently occupies approximately 20% of Ukraine, including parts of the eastern Donbas region. The Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine hand over large areas of this territory, a request that Kyiv has firmly rejected.
In a statement following the attacks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, “The main target of the Russians was the energy infrastructure.” The strikes on a maternity hospital and a hotel for displaced people in Kharkiv have further exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country.
Despite the ongoing negotiations, the high stakes and low expectations for a resolution have been evident. As Zelenskyy has stated, “It’s all about the land,” underscoring the intractable nature of the conflict.
As the talks in Abu Dhabi enter their second day, the continued Russian aggression against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of the situation and the urgent need for a diplomatic breakthrough.