Trilateral talks between US, Russia and Ukraine end without peace deal — Zelensky calls session ‘productive’ as both sides agree to meet again

The first-ever trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the US ended Saturday without any breakthroughs toward an elusive peace deal, as Moscow unleashed a relentless bombing of Kyiv resulting in drastic power cuts to 80% percent of the war-torn capital.

The two-day session in Abu Dhabi concluded with Ukrainian and Russian delegations announcing no results after meeting for the first time since the start of Moscow’s invasion in 2022 — but with tentative plans to continue talks in the United Arab Emirates capital next Sunday.

The warring countries seemed reportedly pleased with the progress toward eventual peace however, leading Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to label the session “productive.”

“We saw a lot of respect in the room between the parties because they were really looking to find solutions,” one unidentified official told reporters, according to Reuters.

“We got to real granular detail, and that next Sunday will be, God willing, another meeting where we push this deal towards its final culmination.”

The overwhelming onslaught from Friday night into Saturday morning occurred in between sessions of a trilateral meeting to end the four-year war. Telegram/monitoringwar

US envoys Steve Witkoff and first son-in-law Jared Kushner joined Russia’s Director of Military Intelligence, Igor Kostyukov, and Ukraine’s military leader, Kyrylo Budanov, and diplomat Rustem Umerov over the two-day span.

Russian strongman Vladimir Putin made an appearance Friday, shaking hands with the top US aides.

Following the conclusion of Saturday’s talks, Zelensky said Ukraine was prepared to continue discussions to end the deadly four-year war.

“Provided there is readiness to move forward — and Ukraine is ready — further meeting will take place, potentially as early as next week. I expect a personal briefing from the delegation upon its return,” he said Saturday, according to Al Jazeera.

Kyiv in a partial blackout in January. MYKOLA TYS/EPA/Shutterstock

Despite the positive spin, the conflict continued to flare up with bombing campaigns across Ukraine that injured a total of 40 people, slammed infrastructure and damaged at least 60 residential buildings sending smoke to blot the country’s skies, the Kyiv Independent reported.

Moscow targeted Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv, with drone and missile attacks overnight into Saturday that killed one and threatened its energy resources just hours after Friday’s initial trilateral session had concluded, according to the outlet.

Ukrainian armed forces announced 61 “combat engagements” with Russian forces in Kharkiv, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhya.

Roughly 80% of Ukraine faced emergency power cuts after 396 aerial weapons, including 21 missiles and 375 drones, bombarded the tattered country, the outlet reported.

“A massive missile and drone attack is underway in Kyiv. Explosions are shaking the city. With the energy system hanging by a thread, we’re praying our Air Defense can hold and save it today,” Ukraine Parliament opposition member Kira Rudik wrote on X.

Roughly 6,000 of Kyiv’s 12,000 apartment buildings have been left without heating, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko — as temperatures were barely expected to break single digits, according to Accuweather.

With Wires.