Vladimir Putin poses with Donald Trump’s envoy, real estate developer Steve Witkoff, St. Petersburg, Russia, April 11, 2025
Saturday’s Coverage: Confusion Over US Role in Ukraine-Russia Talks
UPDATE 1244 GMT:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the second round of Ukraine-Russia-US talks has been rescheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in Abu Dhabi.
Our negotiating team has just delivered a report. The dates for the next trilateral meetings have been set – February 4 and 5 in Abu Dhabi. Ukraine is ready for a substantive discussion, and we are interested in ensuring that the outcome brings us closer to a real and dignified…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 1, 2026
Zelensky reported that in the month of January, Russia launched more than 6,000 attack drones, around 5,500 guided aerial bombs, and 158 missiles. The attacks targeted the energy sector, the railways, and other infrastructure – “everything that sustains normal life”.
That is precisely why the need to protect the sky persists. Missiles for Patriot, NASAMS, F-16s, and other platforms are needed every single day.
Repair work to restore critical infrastructure is ongoing in many regions of Ukraine. In January alone, Russia launched more than 6,000 attack drones against us, around 5,500 guided aerial bombs, and 158 missiles of various types. Virtually all of it targeted the energy sector,… pic.twitter.com/sH64fA4hsW
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 1, 2026
UPDATE 1239 GMT:
At least nine civilians have been injured by a Russian strike on a maternity hospital in Kherson city in southern Ukraine.
Among the wounded were two women who were being examined when the Russians attacked.
Kherson Governor Ivan Fedorov shared footage of shattered windows and rising smoke: “The strike on the maternity hospital is yet another proof of a war waged against life.”
At least four civilians were murdered and 21 injured by Russian attacks over the past day.
Air defense downed 76 of 90 drones launched by Russia overnight. The other 14 struck nine locations.
A man and a woman were killed in Dnipro in south-central Ukraine when a Russian drone targeted houses in the city.
In the Donetsk region in the east, two civilians were murdered and five wounded.
Casualties were also reported in the Sumy, Khakri and Zaporizhzhia regions.
UPDATE 0707 GMT:
A man and a woman in Dnipro city were murdered by an overnight Russian drone strike.
The attack set a fire, destroyed a house, and damaged two more residences and a car.
UPDATE 0652 GMT:
Ukrainians are suffering widespread power outages on Saturday after a “cascade shutdown” in the country’s power grid, following disruptions to transmission lines between Romania and Moldova and between western and central Ukraine.
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the nuclear power plants are operating at reduced capacity following the outage.
Emergency blackouts were in place in Kyiv and the surrounding region, and in the Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, Zhytomyr, and Kharkiv regions. There were power cuts in the Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Sources in the Zelensky Cabinet and an energy company said the reasons for the systemic failure are unclear.
In his nightly address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said:
Ukrainians suffering widespread power outages on Saturday after a “cascade shutdown” in the country’s power grid, following disruptions to transmission lines between Romania and Moldova and between western and central Ukraine.
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the nuclear power plants are operating at reduced capacity following the outage.
Emergency blackouts were in place in Kyiv and the surrounding region, and in the Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, Zhytomyr, and Kharkiv regions. There were power cuts in the Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
The outage cut water supplies in Kyiv, and the capital’s subway system was temporarily suspended.
In his nightly address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed ice buildups on the lines and automatic shutdowns.
This morning, a technical incident occurred on the energy grid: two lines between Romania and Moldova, as well as lines on Ukrainian territory, stopped operating. The causes are being thoroughly investigated. As of now, there is no confirmation of external interference or a… pic.twitter.com/Fk2z2jEprO
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 31, 2026
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff has declared “productive and constructive meetings” with Vladimir Putin’s top financial advisor Kirill Dmitriev in Florida.
Trying to stave any advance for Ukraine in trilateral discussions, scheduled for today in Abu Dhabi, the Kremlin sent Dmitriev to Miami on Saturday.
The Russians have pursued the manipulation of Witkoff, after psychological profiles of Trump officials, since early 2025. He has repeatedly promoted their position: in late October, he and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner collaborated with Dmitriev on a 28-point ultimatum to Ukraine to give up territory and accept permanent weakness with no effective security guarantees.
Witkoff posted after Saturday’s sitdown, which included Kushner and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent:
We are encouraged by this meeting that Russia is working toward securing peace in Ukraine and is grateful for [Donald Trump’s] critical leadership in seeking a durable and lasting peace.
Neither he nor Dmitriev gave details of the discussions.
Today in Florida, the Russian Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev held productive and constructive meetings as part of the U.S. mediation effort toward advancing a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict.
The American delegation included Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of…
— Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (@SEPeaceMissions) January 31, 2026
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Witkoff and Kushner would not be in the American delegation in Abu Dhabi today. The Trump Administration has not said which officials will attend.
In his nightly address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “We are in regular contact with the US side and are waiting for them to provide specifics on further meetings.”
He indicated that today’s gathering in the UAE will be postponed, “We are counting for meetings next week and are preparing for them.”
