Russia launched more than 370 drones and 21 missiles at Ukraine overnight, Kyiv said on Saturday, accusing Moscow of deliberately undermining peace talks as negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the United States met in Abu Dhabi for a second day of discussions to end the nearly four-year-long war.
“Peace efforts? Trilateral meeting in the UAE? Diplomacy? For Ukrainians, this was another night of Russian terror,” Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiga said.
Accusing Moscow of acting deliberately, he added, “Cynically, Putin ordered a brutal massive missile strike against Ukraine right while delegations are meeting in Abu Dhabi to advance the America-led peace process. His missiles hit not only our people, but also the negotiation table,” reported AFP.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched “over 370 attack drones and 21 missiles of various types” overnight, marking one of the heaviest aerial assaults in recent weeks.
The strikes came as Ukrainian and Russian officials held their first known direct contact on a US-backed peace proposal, which began on Friday. Ukraine’s chief negotiator, defence minister Rustem Umerov, said the discussions focused “on the parameters for ending Russia's war and the further logic of the negotiation process.”
The peace initiative has faced resistance from both sides. An initial US draft drew criticism in Kyiv and several Western European capitals for aligning too closely with Moscow’s position, while later versions prompted pushback from Russia over proposals that included the possible deployment of European peacekeepers.
Both Kyiv and Moscow say the status of territory in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region remains one of the key unresolved issues. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions and caused widespread destruction across large parts of Ukraine.
Negotiations in Abu Dhabi are continuing amid uncertainty over whether diplomatic efforts can gain momentum while hostilities on the ground persist.
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