Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was 'happy' with US mediators' change in approach during talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi, as peace talks kicked off for a second day on Wednesday.
asserted
talks → say → Wednesday
Representatives from Kyiv and Moscow began negotiations in the Emirati capital on Tuesday, the first since February when discussions reached a stalemate and Washington was sidetracked by the Iran war.
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Washington → begin → war
Ukrainian and French foreign ministers at the G7 in Paris yesterday commended US efforts to push for 'partial truces', which could serve as a 'first step toward a complete and unconditional ceasefire'.
uncertain
which → commend → ceasefire
US envoys, including President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and businessman Steve Witkoff, are mediating the Abu Dhabi talks.
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envoys → include → talks
The first meeting lasted several hours and aimed to make progress towards resolving the war in Ukraine and - according to Washington - working on a 'new' security framework that includes Europe.
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that → last → Europe
Kushner told delegates the United States had 'narrowed the gaps' between the warring sides, without providing details, and hoped to move towards a 'solution' to Europe's worst conflict since World War II.
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States → tell → II
Zelensky, speaking in Copenhagen on Tuesday, said the talks were 'constructive and quite substantive', adding his team had reported that humanitarian issues and security guarantees were among the topics discussed.
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issues → speak → topics
Zelensky, speaking in Copenhagen on Tuesday, said the talks were 'constructive and quite substantive'
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talks → speak → Tuesday
Firefighters extinguish a fire in car garages following a Russian air attack in Kharkiv
Soldiers inspect an armored personnel carrier damaged by an FPV drone strike
Asked about changes in the approach to peace talks by Kushner and Witkoff, Zelensky said: 'I see changes.
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I → extinguish → changes
I'm very happy with what I hear.'
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I → hear → what
The Ukrainian president said negotiators in Abu Dhabi were working on a 'large-scale exchange of prisoners', adding that US officials would travel to Russia to discuss the matter further.
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officials → say → matter
While speaking to reporters, Zelensky was asked about Russian claims that Putin's forces had occupied half of the Donbas.
uncertain
forces → speak → Donbas
'They told me that the Russians think and say they have already occupied half of Donbas, which remains under our control...
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which → tell → control
Our team told them: 'We don't know how you can even say such things.
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you → tell → things
We have video footage, images, other things proving that these areas are under our control,'' Zelensky said.
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Zelensky → have → control
Although peace talks are progressing, fighting continued overnight.
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fighting → progress → ?
The governor of Russia's Leningrad region, Aleksandr Drozdenko, posted on Telegram that a Ukrainian drone barrage had sparked a fire at Ust-Luga, a key Baltic port for oil exports.
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barrage → post → exports
The attack wounded three workers, he said in a later post on Wednesday, adding that Russian air defences had downed 150 drones in the region during the night.
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defences → wound → night
In Paris, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hailed this week's discussions as 'very productive' and called for Europeans to be eventually included at the negotiating table 'because they are part of solving this problem'.
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they → hail → problem
Europe has been rattled as Trump floated a deal with Russia on rewriting European post-war security, also worrying that Washington will force Kyiv to accept a de-facto defeat.
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Washington → rattle → defeat
Kushner said the United States hoped to 'create a new framework' of security between Ukraine, Russia and Europe that will secure 'decades, if not centuries, of peace'.
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that → say → peace
Moscow, which several weeks before invading Ukraine issued an ultimatum to Western countries to roll back troops from eastern Europe, had also said this was a priority.
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this → invade → Europe
Ukraine has warned against a 'Yalta 2.0', referring to Western leaders dividing Europe with the Soviet Union after World War II, and the EU has said security arrangements can only be discussed after a ceasefire.
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arrangements → warn → ceasefire
'Putin wants the USSR back,' Zelensky told Danish media.
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Zelensky → want → media
Putin has repeatedly turned down broader ceasefire offers and vowed his troops will press on in Ukraine.
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troops → turn → Ukraine
In a sign it is serious about reviving its demand to review Europe's decades-old security arrangement, Russia included a diplomat, Sergei Ryabkov, who lodged Moscow's pre-invasion demand for Nato to pull back from eastern Europe.
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Nato → revive → Europe
A Russian delegation source had said that settling the war was 'merely one item on the agenda', and that Moscow's main objective was reviewing security 'for the entire continent'.
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objective → say → continent
Kyiv's chief negotiator Rustem Umerov met the US envoys and European, EU and Nato officials before the negotiations.
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negotiator → meet → negotiations
Paramedics walk through the burnt debris of a house destroyed by fire following a Russian airstrike in Zaporizhzhia
A residential building burns after it was damaged by a Russian military strike,
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it → walk → strike
Kushner told delegates the United States had 'narrowed the gaps' between the warring sides
The top US and Nato general in Europe, Alexus Grynkewich, is also taking part.
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general → tell → part
In a joint statement, the Europeans, Ukraine, the United States and Nato reaffirmed their 'shared commitment to a strong post-war European security architecture'.
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Europeans → reaffirm → architecture
Umerov said Kyiv's priorities remained securing a ceasefire and security guarantees.
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priorities → say → ceasefire
'Our people are waiting to end this war,' he said.
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he → wait → war
Ukrainian and French foreign ministers in Paris commended US efforts to push for 'partial truces', which could serve as a 'first step toward a complete and unconditional ceasefire'.
uncertain
which → commend → ceasefire
Last month, a local truce in Ukraine's Kherson region brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump became the longest pause in fighting during the war.
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truce → broker → war
Kyiv is also pushing post-war support for its army.
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Kyiv → push → army
A senior Ukrainian source said Ukraine wanted at least 10 years of financial support to sustain an 800,000-strong army able to defend any future Russian attack.
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Ukraine → say → attack
Trump hinted before the talks that Kyiv might have to give up land, saying: 'They're going to end up with a little bit different shape.'
uncertain
They → hint → shape
Russia's troops have ground westwards but have not been able to seize the whole of the coveted Donetsk region, and Moscow demands Kyiv surrender the parts of the embattled area it controls.
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it → grind → area
Russia continues to pound Ukraine and its energy network, raising fears of another winter without heating, running water or electricity for millions of Ukrainians.
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Russia → continue → Ukrainians
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