Russia-Ukraine War: Kharkiv Attacked, Peace Talks in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is set to host a second round of talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators today, Wednesday, February 4, 2026, as a massive Russian attack on Ukraine casts a shadow over the prospects for peace. The talks, brokered by the Trump administration, aim to find a path to end the nearly four-year-long war, but recent escalations have prompted skepticism about an immediate breakthrough.

The meeting comes after Russia launched what Ukraine described as its “most powerful” attack of the year on Tuesday, utilizing 71 missiles and 450 attack drones. Ukrainian officials reported intercepting or destroying 38 missiles and 412 drones, but the assault still caused widespread damage, leaving hundreds of thousands without heating in freezing temperatures. Five people were wounded in Kyiv and strikes on the city of Kharkiv temporarily cut heating to approximately 100,000 customers.

Tragically, the violence continued into Wednesday, with at least two people killed in a Russian drone strike on the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine. Mykola Lukashuk, the head of the regional administration, reported that a 68-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man were killed in the attack on the Synelnykivsky district. A separate drone strike on Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday killed two teenagers and wounded at least nine people.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of violating a Trump-brokered deal intended to halt attacks on energy facilities. He stated that the recent strikes demonstrate a lack of seriousness regarding diplomacy and indicated that Kyiv would adjust its negotiating strategy accordingly. “Each such Russian strike confirms that attitudes in Moscow have not changed: they continue to bet on war and the destruction of Ukraine, and they do not take diplomacy seriously,” Zelenskyy said on Tuesday.

The delegations from Ukraine and Russia have arrived in Abu Dhabi for the two-day trilateral talks, which will also include representatives from the United States. The US envoy, Steve Witkoff, landed in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, accompanied by Jared Kushner. The Russian delegation is led by Igor Kostyukov, director of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency, while Ukraine is represented by Rustem Umerov, the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.

The first round of these talks was held in January, and a previously scheduled second round was postponed. While Donald Trump has expressed optimism about reaching an end to the war, both Moscow and Kyiv have tempered expectations, suggesting that a swift resolution is unlikely. Officials have warned that the conflict could continue indefinitely unless one side is forced to concede.

Alongside the Abu Dhabi talks, diplomatic efforts continue on other fronts. French President Emmanuel Macron is preparing to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to hold a video conference with Putin today, February 4, 2026, reflecting the close economic, diplomatic, and military ties between the two countries.

The situation remains highly volatile. Russia reported destroying a Ukrainian ammunition depot in the Dnipropetrovsk region, while Ukraine accused Russia of launching an attack on the Bryansk region using HIMARS missiles and Neptune missiles, resulting in damage to residential buildings and injuries to civilians. These ongoing clashes underscore the challenges facing negotiators as they attempt to de-escalate the conflict and find a sustainable path towards peace.