World – Ukraine and Russia concluded the first day of U.S.-brokered peace negotiations on Wednesday, with Kyiv’s lead envoy describing the talks as focused and constructive. Delegations are scheduled to return to the table on Thursday in Abu Dhabi, officials said.
Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, said the discussions were “substantive and productive,” according to his office. While no breakthrough was announced toward ending the nearly four-year conflict, Ukrainian officials said the tone and scope of the talks were encouraging.
The meetings unfolded amid continued fighting. Ukrainian authorities reported fresh Russian strikes, including an attack on a crowded market that killed seven people and additional damage to Kyiv’s power infrastructure as temperatures plunged below freezing. Even so, Umerov said negotiators concentrated on “practical steps and concrete solutions.”
In an evening address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that diplomacy must deliver tangible progress for Ukrainians and said he expects a prisoner exchange “in the near future.”
“People need to feel that we are genuinely moving toward peace and an end to the war,” Zelenskyy said, warning against any process that would allow Moscow to prolong hostilities while extracting concessions.
The Kremlin signaled it remains open to a settlement but reiterated that military operations would continue unless Kyiv accepts Russia’s conditions.
Core disputes remain
The thorniest issues center on eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces have made incremental gains. Moscow is pressing Kyiv to pull back troops from large parts of the Donbas, including heavily fortified cities rich in natural resources, and wants international recognition of the territory it has seized since the invasion. Ukraine has rejected those demands, advocating instead freezing the front lines at their current positions and refusing any unilateral withdrawal. Public opinion polls show most Ukrainians oppose ceding additional land.
“I don’t think Ukraine has any moral right to give up occupied territories,” said Sofiia, a resident of the Poltava region, citing the sacrifices of soldiers who have died defending them.
U.S. sees progress, cautions patience
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a comprehensive deal will take time, but argued that the administration of President Donald Trump has helped narrow differences between the sides.
“That’s the good news,” Rubio told reporters. “The hard part is that the remaining issues are the most difficult, and the war continues.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said Kyiv is seeking clarity on what both Moscow and Washington ultimately want, noting that the talks, only the second direct engagement between Ukrainian and Russian officials in more than three years, centered on military and security matters.
Russia currently occupies roughly 20 percent of Ukraine, including Crimea and parts of the Donbas seized before the full-scale invasion in 2022. Zelenskyy said Wednesday that about 55,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed since the war began, with many others missing. Total casualties on both sides, including wounded, are believed to reach into the hundreds of thousands.
Despite the grim toll, Ukrainian officials said the first day’s talks offered a measure of cautious optimism, tempered by the reality that the most contentious questions remain unresolved.
By The Midtown Times Staff
Published Feb. 4, 2026
