Trilateral US–Russia–Ukraine talks enter second day in Abu Dhabi

The second day of trilateral negotiations involving the United States, Russia, and Ukraine commenced on February 5, in Abu Dhabi.

The development was confirmed by Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, in a statement published on his Telegram channel.

"The second day of ‍negotiations in Abu ​Dhabi has begun," Umerov said on the Telegram ‌app. "We are working in ‍the same formats as yesterday: trilateral consultations, group work and further synchronisation ‍of positions."

“All conclusions will be announced after the process is complete,” he added.

The first day of trilateral talks in the Emirati capital concluded on February 4 with Kyiv describing the negotiations as "substantive and productive," though there was no apparent breakthrough.

The main stumbling block in the negotiations is the fate of the territory in eastern Ukraine. Moscow is demanding that Kyiv withdraw its troops from large areas of the Donbas region, including heavily fortified cities located atop vast natural resources, as a precondition for any agreement.

Kyiv has said the conflict should be frozen along the current front line and has rejected any pullback of its forces.

Meanwhile, Russia continued strikes on Ukraine's power infrastructure, leaving many people, including residents of the capital city of Kyiv, without power and shivering through temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit) in recent days.

By Vafa Guliyeva