Russia carried out a series of overnight strikes on Kyiv, killing at least seven people and damaging residential buildings and energy facilities, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday. In a separate incident, Ukrainian forces struck southern Russia, killing three people and damaging homes, according to Russian authorities.
The escalation comes as Washington renews efforts to negotiate an end to the nearly four-year war. U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met for several hours with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, a U.S. official told The Associated Press. Driscoll, who joined the American negotiating team less than two weeks ago, is now leading the latest round of discussions on the framework for a potential settlement.
The U.S. official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the talks, declined to specify how long the negotiations may continue or what issues are under discussion, but indicated that Ukraine had been briefed and that all parties expressed interest in reaching a ceasefire agreement as soon as possible.
Oleksandr Bevz, a Ukrainian delegate involved in talks between Kyiv and Washington in Geneva on Sunday, confirmed that the proposed U.S. settlement plan has been streamlined. He rejected reports that the original 28-point document had been reduced to 19 points, but said some items unrelated to Ukraine or duplicated material were removed, along with sections focused solely on U.S.–Russia relations.
