Ukraine: Peace talks end without deal as Russian strikes hit during winter cold

By Stefan J. Bos 

The talks concluded as overnight Russian airstrikes knocked out electricity for more than a million Ukrainians amid subzero winter cold, reportedly killing at least one person and injuring 23 civilians.

Russia launched a deadly drone and missile attack targeting Ukraine’s two largest cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv, even as U.S., Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met in the United Arab Emirates for trilateral peace talks.

The night sky in Kyiv was lit up by flashes and the sound of explosions as the capital came under massive strikes.

Firefighters rushed to burning vehicles, while authorities said debris damaged several buildings, including the roof of the Roshen chocolate factory.

Clutching children, pets in corridors

In Kharkiv, residents clutched their children and pets as they huddled in corridors, trying to stay warm in freezing temperatures that could drop overnight to minus 20 Celsius, minus 4 Fahrenheit.

Among those sheltering was Olena Artemova, a resident of a damaged building.

“How and where we are to spend the night is unclear,” she says. “The windows are broken, and we have only a one-room apartment.”

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in the overnight attack into early Saturday.

‘Strikes also hit negotiating table’

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called it cynical that President Vladimir Putin ordered what he described as “a brutal massive strike” while delegations were meeting in Abu Dhabi.

Sybiha said Russian missiles not only struck Ukraine, but figuratively, “also hit the negotiating table.”

No agreements were announced after the talks. Sticking points include Russia insisting the war cannot end without Ukrainian territorial concessions — especially in the eastern Donbas — demands Kyiv rejects.

Still, both sides said they remain open to further dialogue as early as next weekend. A senior U.S. official even suggested the sides may not be far from higher-level talks between the Ukrainian, Russian and U.S. presidents.

For now, Ukrainians face another bitter winter as the nearly four-year-long war grinds on.