Russian military operations killed one person and wounded 15 others in Kyiv and Kharkiv, demonstrating that combat continues even as American officials facilitate peace talks in Abu Dhabi. The attacks targeted residential areas, causing casualties and infrastructure damage while diplomats from three nations worked to find a path toward ending the conflict.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko issued urgent warnings to Kyiv residents, declaring that the capital faced a “massive enemy attack” and instructing people to remain in protective shelters. The strikes hit residential buildings, causing deaths, injuries, and extensive property damage. Essential services including heat and water were disrupted in several neighborhoods, adding to the civilian suffering.
Kharkiv experienced attacks from Iranian-made Shahed drones, according to Mayor Igor Terekhov, with multiple residential complexes sustaining damage. The drone strikes represent Russia’s continued reliance on Iranian military technology to target Ukrainian cities. The attacks on civilian residential areas have become a persistent feature of the conflict.
In Abu Dhabi, negotiators from Russia, Ukraine, and the United States engaged in two-day discussions described by the UAE foreign ministry as efforts “to promote dialogue and identify political solutions to the crisis.” The talks represent the most substantive diplomatic engagement in months, though deep divisions persist. The Donbas region remains a critical sticking point, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov maintaining Russia’s demand for Ukrainian military withdrawal.
President Zelensky expressed cautious optimism following his discussions with President Trump, announcing that peace proposals were “nearly ready” for implementation. He also outlined plans for a free trade zone in eastern Ukraine under Kyiv’s administration, which he discussed with the American president. President Putin held separate meetings with Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as multiple diplomatic channels operated in parallel throughout the weekend in hopes of achieving a breakthrough.