The United States and Russia have held a series of closed-door meetings in Abu Dhabi against the backdrop of new military escalation, overnight strikes, and President Donald Trump’s declaration of “significant progress” on his peace initiative. According to Bloomberg, these contacts have become the most substantial direct dialogue between Washington and Moscow since the publication of the American 28-point peace proposal.
Lengthy Negotiations in Abu Dhabi
According to U.S. officials, U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll spent several hours in talks with a Russian delegation on Monday night and continued discussions the following day. No details have been released. The Kremlin declined to comment on the meeting itself, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating he had “nothing to say.”
Sources cited by Bloomberg report that Washington has softened the strict deadline set by President Donald Trump — November 27 — after American and Ukrainian negotiators in Geneva managed to ease Kyiv’s and Europe’s strong resistance to the original proposal.
Escalation on the Ground: Strikes on Kyiv, Odesa, and Southern Russia
Amid diplomatic contacts, Moscow and Kyiv exchanged heavy strikes overnight.
In Kyiv, at least six people were killed, according to the city’s military administration. Residents were urged to stay in shelters, and Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported severe damage to a residential building, along with power and water cuts across several districts.
The Odesa region also came under attack: six people were injured, and both energy and port infrastructure sustained damage.
Meanwhile, Romania scrambled fighter jets after detecting two drone intrusions into its airspace near the Ukrainian border.
On the Russian side, significant damage was reported in the Krasnodar region. Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said six people were injured and more than 20 residential buildings were damaged. The port city of Novorossiysk was among the hardest hit. Ukraine’s General Staff claimed responsibility for strikes on the Tuapse oil refinery and the Sheskharis oil terminal, though Bloomberg notes these claims cannot be independently verified.
In the neighboring Rostov region, three people were killed. Several residential buildings, two industrial facilities, and a kindergarten were damaged in the attack on Taganrog.
Two Competing Peace Plans
After White House envoy Steve Witkoff and his Russian counterpart Kirill Dmitriev agreed on the American draft peace plan, Kyiv and European officials worked to produce their own version — far less favorable to Moscow. The result was a shortened 19-point proposal.
However, Bloomberg reports that Russia refuses to consider the revised plan. Peskov called it “unacceptable,” insisting that the only valid basis for negotiations is the plan proposed by President Donald Trump. He added that Moscow has not yet received any official updates on modifications made after U.S. consultations with Ukraine.
Kyiv’s Response and Zelenskiy’s Remarks
Before the overnight strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his evening address that negotiations with the U.S. and European partners had produced “some progress.” He stated that the list of steps required to end the war “can now become achievable,” though much work remains.
After the attacks, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the strikes as a “terrorist response to the United States’ and President Trump’s peace proposals” and urged allies to maintain pressure on Moscow.
This article was prepared based on materials published by Bloomberg. The author does not claim authorship of the original text but presents their interpretation of the content for informational purposes.
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