Talks on ending Russia-Ukraine war begin in Abu Dhabi

Three-way talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States opened Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates, as Washington renews its push to end the war that followed Moscow's all-out invasion nearly five years ago.

The two-day session in the UAE's capital, Abu Dhabi, is the first such meeting since February. It will focus on security guarantees, the White House said before the discussions. Russia sees NATO as a threat, and Ukraine wants to prevent future Russian invasions.

Hopes of progress in ending Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II are tempered by the absence of any significant breakthroughs in three previous rounds of talks early this year. The war has already killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and thousands of civilians, analysts and humanitarian organizations say.

There are no signs the fighting is abating, and the talks took place against a backdrop of new long-range strikes between Russia and Ukraine. The two armies are largely deadlocked on the front line.

Russia launched 162 drones of various types and a ballistic missile at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine’s air force said.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said that its forces shot down 155 Ukrainian drones overnight above eight Russian regions, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.