Trump redoubles efforts to end the Ukraine war

'Putin kept his word'

Despite the ferocity of the attack, Trump continued to insist that Putin had kept his word, claiming that the attack only took place after the agreed time period for the truce had expired, a claim that was hotly contested by the Ukrainians.

"He kept his word," said of Putin's promise. "We'll take anything, because it's really, really cold over there."

Russia's insistence on maintaining its assault on Ukraine at a time when the focus is supposed to be on resolving the conflict is no doubt designed to increase the pressure on both Trump and Zelensky to make territorial concessions to end the war, a demand that has been bitterly resisted by Kyiv.

"We await the reaction of America to the Russian strikes," Zelensky said as American, Russian and Ukrainian officials gathered for a second round of discussions in Abu Dhabi.

"It was the US proposal to halt strikes on energy during diplomacy and severe winter weather. The president of the United States personally made the request. Russia responded with a record number of ballistic missiles."

The Ukrainian leader also called for the US Congress to finally approve new sanctions against Russia.

"The US Congress has long been working on a new sanctions bill, and there must be progress on it. European partners can take decisive steps regarding the earnings of Russian oil tankers for the war. Russia must feel pressure so that it moves in negotiations toward peace," Zelensky said.

Upbeat atmosphere

Negotiators have so far been upbeat about the talks, describing them as "substantive" and "productive." Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's chief negotiator and the head of its national security and defence council, said the work of negotiators had so far been "focused on concrete steps and practical solutions" to ending the war, which is nearing its fourth anniversary.

The Russian side is again represented by military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov, who has been sanctioned in the West over his role in the invasion, along with other senior intelligence officials.

Ahead of the talks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the "doors for a peaceful resolution" to the conflict, which has killed tens of thousands of people on both sides, "remain open."

The importance Trump is attaching to the talks is reflected in the strength of the US delegation, which is being led by White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, both of whom have become fixtures in the Trump administration's diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

US Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Alex Grynkewich are also part of the American delegation.

At the same time as the trilateral talks to end the Ukraine conflict are taking place, separate bilateral discussions are being held by Russian and American officials, with the Russian delegation being led by Kremlin envoy and Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev.

"We are actively working with the Trump administration to restore Russia-US economic relations, including through the Russian-American Economic Cooperation Group," Dmitriev said.

The fact that Trump has sent such a high-ranking delegation to participate in the talks reflects the American's determination to reach a deal with the Kremlin on a broad range of topics, with the Ukraine conflict being just one of the issues that are up for discussion.

Whether Trump can conclude his ambitious plan to establish a new era of US-Russia cooperation will ultimately depend on whether he can persuade Putin to end his costly military campaign in Ukraine.