Ukraine and Russia concluded two days of direct discussions mediated by the U.S. on Saturday and agreed to reconvene next week in Abu Dhabi. This agreement comes as Kyiv accused Moscow of sabotaging the negotiations aimed at ending the conflict by launching renewed attacks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the talks, stating, “Much was discussed, and it’s crucial that the discussions were constructive.” He mentioned that the next meeting could occur “as soon as next week.”

On the eve of the second day of discussions, Russia unleashed a series of drone and missile strikes on Ukraine, leaving millions without power in freezing temperatures. Kyiv accused Moscow of undermining the talks by initiating another “night of Russian terror.”

A spokesperson for the UAE government described the negotiations, involving high-ranking military officers from both sides, as taking place in a “constructive and positive atmosphere.” However, residents of Kyiv, weary from another night without sleep, expressed skepticism regarding any significant outcomes.

Anastasia Tolkachov remarked, “They’ll say everything is fine, that nothing has been settled, and the rockets will fall again,” having spent the night in a parking lot. Another resident known only as Valentina expressed her doubts, saying, “I don’t expect anything to change. We’ll just have to endure the cold a bit longer, somehow.”

At night, AFP reporters witnessed individuals rushing through the streets seeking safety as explosions illuminated the sky above the capital.

The Emirati spokesperson noted that the discussions revolved around “key components of the U.S.-proposed peace framework and confidence-building measures.” Zelensky indicated that “the primary focus of the conversations was on the potential terms for ending the war.”

Both conflicting parties assert that the status of territories in the eastern Donbas region remains the principal unresolved issue during the negotiations.

Due to Russian attacks, over a million residents in Kyiv and Chernihiv were left without electricity amid freezing conditions, with approximately half of Kyiv’s residential buildings losing heating, according to Ukrainian officials.

“This night in Kyiv, it feels like we’re trapped in a cycle that repeats endlessly,” reflected Iryna Berehova, 48, adding, “These blasts, sleepless nights, and worries for our children and safety are incredibly draining.”

“The ongoing negotiations don’t inspire any hope for improvement.”

The European Union, which has dispatched hundreds of power generators to Ukraine, has accused Moscow of “intentionally depriving civilians of heat.”

Last week, Zelensky declared a state of emergency in the energy sector, which has been severely impacted by continuous Russian assaults on heat and electricity infrastructure.

The Moscow-appointed governor of the occupied Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, reported that a Ukrainian drone strike resulted in the deaths of three people in an ambulance en route to aid a sick man.

The conflict has led to the deaths of tens of thousands, displaced millions, and caused widespread devastation across Ukraine.

While efforts to resolve Europe’s most severe conflict since World War II have gained momentum again, both Moscow and Kyiv seem locked in a stalemate regarding territorial issues.

U.S. President Joe Biden met with Zelensky at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, after which U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff held discussions with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.

Shortly after Putin’s meeting with Witkoff—and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner—in Moscow, the Kremlin reiterated its demand for Kyiv to retreat from the eastern Donbas region, labeling it “a very important condition.”

Kyiv has rejected this demand. “The Donbas is a central issue,” Zelensky remarked to reporters on Friday, prior to the talks in the UAE.

Zelensky noted that he and Biden had reached an agreement on post-war security guarantees during their time in Davos.

The last known face-to-face interaction between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators took place last summer in Istanbul, which ended with agreements solely regarding the exchange of captured soldiers.

The Abu Dhabi meeting marked the first time they directly engaged over the Trump administration’s proposal.

The initial U.S. draft faced considerable backlash in Kyiv and Western Europe for aligning too closely with Moscow’s demands, while Russia dismissed later versions that suggested including European peacekeepers in Ukraine.

Putin has consistently asserted that Moscow intends to gain complete control over eastern Ukraine by force if diplomatic efforts do not succeed.

Previously, Trump has pressured Ukraine to accept conditions that Kyiv perceives as capitulation.