The latest exchanges came as senior officials from Russia, Ukraine and the US prepared to meet in Abu Dhabi for the first trilateral peace negotiations (Photo: AP).
Russia and Ukraine have regularly targeted each other’s energy infrastructure and other assets since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The Russian defence ministry said its forces had struck a cargo vessel and a tanker in the Black Sea, Interfax news agency reported. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack disrupted power supplies in Luhansk and other parts of the eastern region controlled by Russia, TASS reported, quoting Moscow-installed authorities. Despite the reported flexibility over territorial arrangements, the positions of Moscow and Kyiv on the conditions for ending the conflict remain far apart.
Another cargo vessel was hit east of the Ukrainian port of Odesa, the agency said. Reuters said it could not immediately independently verify the report. In a separate incident, a drone struck an industrial facility in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, a Ukrainian official said in a post on Telegram. US officials said Moscow and Kyiv had privately demonstrated “a little bit of flexibility” over the question of control of Ukraine’s eastern territories in a postwar arrangement, BBC reported. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a member of the American delegation, Jared Kushner, alongside peace envoy Steve Witkoff, said the discussions would focus on the postwar security concerns of both countries. “An important part of this process is encouraging all parties to begin thinking seriously about what comes after the war,” Kushner wrote on X.
The official did not provide further details. The latest exchanges came as senior officials from Russia, Ukraine and the US prepared to meet in Abu Dhabi for the first trilateral negotiations aimed at ending the conflict since February. The talks are taking place as the fifth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches. However, the two sides remain divided over the terms for ending the war. One of the main points of disagreement is the eastern region of Donetsk, most of which is currently occupied by Russia. Moscow has demanded that Ukraine surrender the parts of Donetsk that remain under Kyiv’s control. Ukraine, meanwhile, wants to freeze the current line of contact, retaining control over the territory it still holds and describing it as vital to its future security. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.
Russia and Ukraine continued to exchange strikes on Tuesday, targeting vessels and infrastructure, as officials from the two countries and the United States prepared to hold their first trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi.