Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin must be ready to end war he started, says Zelensky after first day of peace talks

Ukraine's energy situation "significantly" worsened on Friday after recent Russian air attacks, triggering emergency power outages in most regions, Kyiv's grid operator said.

The grim assessment followed a remark by Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal on Thursday that Ukraine's energy system had endured its most difficult day since a widespread blackout in November 2022, when Russia began bombing the power grid.

In new comments on Friday, Shmyhal said the situation with the grid remained difficult, but he expected things to stabilise somewhat.

Moscow has stepped up air strikes in recent weeks, further damaging battered infrastructure and leaving large numbers of residents without power and heating during a subzero cold snap.

Several power generation facilities are undergoing emergency repairs as a result of the combined drone and missile attacks, Ukrenergo said on the Telegram messaging app.

"The equipment is operating at the limits of its capabilities," it said, adding that power blocks were carrying a "tremendous" overload due to earlier damage from Russian strikes.

Speaking to Reuters on Friday, Maxim Timchenko, CEO of Ukraine's top private energy firm, said the situation was "close to a humanitarian catastrophe" and that any future peace deal between Russia and Ukraine must include a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure.

In his latest comments, Shmyhal said there were significant power shortages, but added: "Thanks to the coordinated actions of Ukrenergo and distribution system operators, we are seeing a trend towards partial stabilisation."

On Friday talks commenced between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators, brokered by the US. This was the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago, that all three nations have held talks.

The UAE’s foreign ministry said the talks are “part of ongoing efforts to promote dialogue and identify political solutions to the crisis.”

The White House described the talks as productive and said conversations would continue on Saturday.

Key topics of discussion include territorial dispute, specifically focusing on the future of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. Both sides have indicated that a possible peace deal hinges on the apparently still unresolved issue of territory.

Ukraine has been pushing for security guarantees from the West to prevent Russia from invading its territory again.

For the first time ever, Russia, Ukraine and the US will get around the table together for a trilateral meeting to discuss peace on Friday.

The historic talks will take place in Abu Dhabi and come hours after a “frank” and “constructive” late-night discussion between US special envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and President Vladimir Putin.

The parties are seeking to narrow gaps in a peace plan proposed by Washington that was initially criticised as pro-Russian.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has demanded respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, freedom to advance its Nato ambitions and EU membership aspirations and to maintain a large military to deter the threat of future Russian aggression.

Maira Butt reports:

The head of Ukraine's national security and defence council has said today’s meeting “focused on the parameters for ending Russia’s war”.

Rustem Umerov, who is a member of the Ukrainian team at the peace talks, said in a post on X this evening: “The meeting focused on the parameters for ending Russia’s war and the further logic of the negotiation process aimed at advancing toward a dignified and lasting peace. Additional meetings are scheduled for tomorrow.”

In his evening address to the nation late Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian delegation attending the talks reported to him "almost every hour".

"They are discussing the parameters for ending the war," he said. "By now, our team should already have at least some answers from Russia. The key is that Russia must be ready to end the war it started.”

He added that "it's too early to draw conclusions about the content of today's negotiations - we'll see how the conversation goes tomorrow and what the results will be. It's not just about Ukraine's desire to end this war and achieve full security - it's also about Russia somehow developing a similar desire".

Ukrainian and Russian negotiators, have concluded their talks in Abu Dhabi for today (Friday). They are set to continue discussions on Saturday for a final day to tackle the important issue of territory.

The talks were brokered by the US, as US president Donald Trump mounts pressure on Ukraine to reach a peace deal in the war, triggered by Russia’s full scale invasion in February 2022.

Showing no signs of compromise, Russian airstrikes have recently intensified in crippling Ukraine’s energy system, cutting power and heating to major cities like Kyiv during the harsh winter temperatures. This has plunged the country into its worst energy crisis of the four-year war.

So far, Ukraine has resisted Russia’s demand to cede the Donetsk region. Donetsk is one of four Ukrainian regions Moscow said in 2022 it was annexing after referendums, which have been rejected by Kyiv and Western nations as bogus.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said territorial dispute would be a key issue at the talks in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, which are scheduled to conclude on Saturday.

"The most important thing is that Russia should be ready to end this war, which it started," Zelensky said in a statement on the Telegram app, adding he was in regular communication with the Ukrainian delegation but it was too early to draw conclusions from Friday's talks.

"We'll see how the conversation goes tomorrow and what the outcome will be."

The UAE's foreign ministry said the talks commenced on Friday and are scheduled to continue over two days "as part of ongoing efforts to promote dialogue and identify political solutions to the crisis".

Volodymyr Zelensky said the future of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region will be a key focus as negotiators from all three nations hold talks for the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago.