Russia confirms that a new round of U.S.-mediated peace talks will be held with Ukraine this week in Abu Dhabi after a brief pause amid concerns over the human cost of a war in which combined military casualties on both sides are estimated to be approaching two million.
By Stefan J. Bos
Moscow said Monday that Russia and Ukraine have, in its words, “narrowed their differences on some issues,” though it admitted significantdisagreements remain.
Those unresolved issues are believed to include Ukraine’s refusal to give up territory occupied by Russian forces since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
The latest talks were expected to take place on Sunday but were postponed for what officials described only as “scheduling reasons.”
Now, the Kremlin says negotiations are set to continue on Wednesday and Thursday in the United Arab Emirates capital.
Violence continues as diplomacy resumes
The delayed diplomatic efforts also come amid continued violence on the ground.
Ukrainian officials say a Russian drone strike hit a bus carrying mineworkers in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, killing at least twelve people and injuring several others as workers returned home from their shift.
Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK — which owned the bus — described the strike as a “large-scale terrorist attack” on its personnel and mining operations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine’s energy system remains seriously strained after recent Russian strikes.
Authorities say more than two hundred buildings in Kyiv alone are still without heating as temperatures fall to minus seventeen Celsius, or about 1 degree Fahrenheit, with repair crews deployed from across the country.
Energy and infrastructure remain under pressure
President Zelenskyy said that while Russia has reduced direct attacks on major energy infrastructure under a partial truce, it continues what he called terror against Ukraine’s logistics — especially railway systems.
As attacks continue and the war grinds into its fourth year, the human cost is staggering.
Ukraine claims Russia has suffered more than 1.24 million troop casualties — killed or wounded — though such figures are difficult to independently verify.
Additionally, an analysis cited by the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies suggests combined military casualties on both sides could be nearing two million, making this one of Europe’s deadliest conflicts in decades.
The renewed Abu Dhabi talks highlight fragile hope for progress, even as deadly strikes and infrastructure damage continue to impact daily life across war-torn Ukraine.
