Ukraine’s foreign minister says Putin ‘cynically’ attacked during Abu Dhabi talks
Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said in his article to
Russia launched air strikes on Ukraine’s two largest cities, Kiev and Kharkiv, early Saturday; One person was killed and at least 23 people were injured. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 375 unmanned aerial vehicles and 21 missiles in the attacks, which once again targeted energy infrastructure and cut off electricity and heat in much of the capital.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that it was too early to draw conclusions from the first day of meetings in Abu Dhabi and called on Russia to show that it was ready to end the war. The talks were expected to continue for the last day on Saturday morning.
Ahead of the talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russia had not given up its insistence that Ukraine hand over the entire eastern region of Donbas, the industrial center that groups the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand that Ukraine hand over the 20% it still holds in Donetsk (about 5,000 square kilometers) has proven to be a major obstacle to any agreement.
Zelenskiy refuses to give up the lands that Russia has not been able to capture in four years of crushing and exhausting wars. Polls show little appetite for land concessions among Ukrainians. Russia says it wants a diplomatic solution but will continue to work to achieve its goals through military means as long as a negotiated solution is difficult to achieve.
Before Saturday’s strikes, Kiev had suffered two mass night attacks since New Year’s Day, knocking out electricity and heating to hundreds of residences. Ukraine’s deputy prime minister said on Saturday that 800,000 people were left without electricity in Kiev, where temperatures were around -10 Celsius following the latest Russian attack.
