Russia and Ukraine Trade Long-Range Strikes Before US-Brokered Talks in Abu Dhabi

Russia and Ukraine exchanged long-range strikes Monday, with Moscow hitting Ukrainian power infrastructure and Kyiv targeting a major Russian oil refinery, hours before U.S.-brokered talks were set to begin in Abu Dhabi. The attacks underscore the ongoing intensity of the nearly five-year war. Russian forces struck four electrical substations in Ukrainian regions, part of a campaign to cut heating and water during winter, while Ukraine’s drones caused a fire at the KINEF refinery near St. Petersburg. Ukrainian officials also reported a drone attack on a Russian solid rocket propellant plant, aiming to limit ballistic missile launches. U.S. President Donald Trump claimed in a Sunday interview that Moscow and Kyiv are “very close” to a deal, though he offered no specifics. The three-way talks, excluding European officials per Russian insistence, follow a February Geneva round that yielded no progress, with both sides’ economies strained by the conflict.