Russia drone strikes kill two civilians in Ukraine as US launches major so-called peace talks

Russia drone strikes kill two civilians in Ukraine as US launches major so-called peace talks As Russia sends tough hardliners into peace negotiations more civilians are killed by Moscow's troops and Ukraine braces for two days of hard talks between bitter enemies Russia launched deadly drone strikes across Ukraine today just hours before major peace talks began in the Middle East. Attacks killed two people in the city of Ladyzhyn in western Ukraine’s Vinnytsia region on, also seriously damaging civilian infrastructure. Local official Oleksandr Kolomiiets confirmed the deaths and said the community had declared three days of mourning starting today. Just hours later, tri-lateral talks between Russian and Ukrainian diplomats and intelligence officials began, mediated by the US. The talks in Abu Dhabi are the first serious negotiations between the two bitter enemies since February and the war has raged for more than four years. Overseeing the meeting are US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, along with former estate agent turned Trump envoy Steve Witkoff. They started just a day after Donald Trump said Ukraine would have to take on a different “shape,” hinting strongly he believes Kyiv will have to give up territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said from the beginning of the war that Kyiv will not agree to give up ground to the Russian invasion. At the centre of the two day talks are what security guarantees Ukraine can seek that if war does end, Russia will not restart hostilities. Ukraine’s eastern region The Donbas, taking in Donetsk and Luhansk makes up 25% of the country and much of this is occupied by Russian troops. Russia also invaded Crimea, another part of Ukraine, in 2014 shortly after the Maidan Revolution in which Ukraine moved politically towards Ukraine. Weeks ago President Volodymyr Zelensky described giving up territory as a red-line, adding: “If we withdraw from the Donbas today - our fortifications, our terrain, the heights we control - we will clearly open a bridgehead for the Russians to prepare an offensive.” The Ukrainian delegation for the Abu Dhabi talks is headed by Rustem Umerov, Head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, and also includes Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Presidential Office. The Russian delegation is led by Vladimir Medinsky, a hardliner and aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin who has declared Russia is prepared to continue the war. His inclusion in the Moscow delegation is being seen as an aggressive move by the Kremlin to deploy a extreme nationalist representative to the negotiations. Medinsky is obsessed with Ukraine becoming part of Russia, which has been the main aim of Moscow leader Vladimir Putin. Medinsky is one of the Kremlin's most outspoken propagandists. He has played a key role acting for Russia in leading several unsuccessful rounds of talks in March 2022 and again in May and June 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey, and in Geneva, Switzerland, in February this year. His delegation also includes: Igor Kostyukov, head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff (GRU) and intelligence agency commanders. The biggest hurdle for Ukraine is how to ensure Russia does not return to war and an immense distrust of the Kremlin as they have not stuck to agreements in the past.