Russia again battered Kyiv, killing at least six people, as US officials were reportedly in Abu Dhabi for separate meetings with Russian and Ukrainian officials to try to hammer out agreement on a US-proposed peace deal whose initial draft was seen as heavily favorable to Moscow.
The November 25 attacks, which emergency officials said also wounded at least 13, were the latest in a series of near daily barrages on civilians in Ukrainian cities and towns an indication that despite renewed efforts at reaching a cease-fire or a full peace deal, Moscow is confident it has the upper hand.
Ukrainian emergency workers battled blazes in several districts in the Ukrainian capital, as they rescued people and searched for bodies in the aftermath of the pre-dawn attacks. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least six people were reported killed.
Exhausted Ukrainians were already facing a difficult winter, as months of Russian attacks on its electricity grid and energy infrastructure strained workers racing to do repairs and bolster defenses.
On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces are stretched thin, struggling to keep Russian forces from capturing key eastern cities including Pokrovsk, Kostyantynivka, and Kupyansk.
Last week, Ukrainians and their European allies were blindsided by a new 28-point US peace plan, the leaked draft of which contained several points Russia has pushed for since the start of the all-out invasion in February 2022. The plan was presented to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his advisers in Kyiv by visiting US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.
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Ukrainian officials then flew to Geneva over the weekend to meet with US representatives, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to try and hammer out an draft that would require fewer concessions from Ukraine and not result in what some in Kyiv saw asnear capitulation.
In a joint statement on November 23, the White House and Zelenskyy's office said the talks in the Swiss city showed "meaningful progress" toward ending the war and led to an "updated and refined" framework that would "fully uphold" Ukraine's sovereignty and deliver a just peace.
"As of now, after Geneva, there are fewer points no longer 28 and many of the right elements have been taken into account in this framework," Zelenskyysaidon social media on November 24. He said he would "discuss the sensitive issues" with Trump.
On November 25, more Ukrainian officials flew to Abu Dhabi for more talks with Driscoll and other US officials, CBS News and the Financial Times reported.
News outlets including the FT, the Wall Street Journal, Politico, and CNN reported that Driscoll was also meeting with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi. All the reports cited unnamed officials.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on November 25 that he had "nothing to say" about the reported meetings, but that Russia believes the US proposal "could become a very good basis for negotiations."
With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and Reuters
















