January 23–24, 2026, the United Arab Emirates’ capital is hosting the first-ever trilateral meeting among Ukraine, the United States and Russia, aimed at reaching an agreement to end the war.
A massive overnight aerial attack by Russian forces on January 24 could negatively impact the three-way peace talks in Abu Dhabi, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X.
The Minister said Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered the strikes at the very moment Ukraine’s delegation was meeting US and Russian representatives in the UAE as part of the peace effort.
“Cynically, Putin ordered a brutal massive missile strike against Ukraine right while delegations are meeting in Abu Dhabi to advance the America-led peace process. His missiles hit not only our people, but also the negotiation table.,” Sybiha wrote.
Overnight on January 24, Russian forces carried out airstrikes on civilian infrastructure across several Ukrainian regions, leaving dead and wounded, triggering emergency power shutoffs and damaging residential buildings, Ukrainian officials said. The attack involved more than 370 drones of various types and 21 missiles, according to Ukraine.
In Kyiv, nearly 6,000 multi-story apartment buildings were once again left without heat, mostly on the city’s left bank. Water supply issues were also reported. In the Chernihiv region, an important energy facility was damaged, leaving almost the entire city of Chernihiv—hundreds of thousands of people—without electricity in a citywide blackout.
Trilateral talks to end the war began January 23 in Abu Dhabi with delegations from Ukraine, the US and Russia. These are the first peace consultations in this format. Ukraine’s delegation is led by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, the US delegation by Steven Witkoff, and Russia’s by GRU chief Igor Kostyukov.
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, each side in Abu Dhabi will present its vision for the future of Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Russian forces. Zelensky has repeatedly said Kyiv will never legally recognize those lands as Russian, as that would violate Ukraine’s constitution.
Zelensky said negotiators from Ukraine, the US and Russia held “an important conversation” on January 23 in Abu Dhabi.
