Ukraine war latest: Russia will keep fighting until you meet our demands, Kyiv told as peace talks begin

Working level talks between Russia and France are under way, the Kremlin has confirmed.

Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there was nothing to announce for now when it comes to a possible conversation between Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron.

The French president said yesterday that he was looking at resuming contact with Putin on the ‌war in Ukraine, ⁠even though he saw little readiness ‍from Moscow to negotiate a ceasefire.

The two leaders have not met since Macron visited Moscow in February 2022, weeks before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

With peace talks under way in Abu Dhabi, here's a reminder of who is representing each delegation:

• Russia: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed in a press call yesterday that the Russian delegation will be headed by Admiral Igor Kostyukov - head of Russian intelligence;
• US: Envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will be also be in attendance, according to our US partner network NBC News;
• Ukraine: Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian delegation will include national security secretary Rustem Umerov, Kyrylo Budanov, head of the president's office, and Andrii Hnatov, chief of the general staff.

At least seven people have been killed and eight more injured in Russian attacks on a town in eastern Donetsk, its regional governor says.

Russia shelled ​Druzhkivka with cluster munitions, targeting the ​market "where there is always a large crowd of people", ‍Vadym Filashkin said on Telegram.

"This is another deliberate war crime and another proof that all Russian statements about a 'ceasefire' are worthless," he added.

"The final number of victims of this attack has not yet been established - we will report on significant updates later."

There was no immediate ‌comment from Russia ⁠on the ‌attacks. Both Moscow and ‍Kyiv deny targeting civilians.

Ukraine's air force says 105 Russian drones were fired at various targets across the country last night ahead of the latest round of peace talks beginning.

It said air defences, including anti-aircraft missiles and electronic warfare units, shot down and disabled 88 drones.

Some 17 drones struck targets at 14 locations, the air force added, while debris fell at five locations.

Here are the latest images from Ukraine's southern Odesa region after it was targeted overnight by Russian drones.

Regional governor Oleg Kiper said four people needed to be rescued from a two-storey residential building following the "massive drone attack".

A large-scale fire broke out, which was promptly extinguished by firefighters, officials added.

Kremlin ‌spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russian ⁠troops will keep fighting in Ukraine until ​Kyiv ​makes "decisions" that could bring ‍the war to an end. 

Russia's position remains unchanged, ‌which is known ‌to both Ukrainian and US negotiators, ​Peskov said. 

His comments come as the latest round of peace talks between Kyiv, Moscow and Washington began in Abu Dhabi today.

Ukraine has rejected ‌Russia's demand that ⁠it cede the ‌remainder of its ‍Donbas region - land that Moscow's forces have not captured in four ​years of fighting. 

Talks in Abu Dhabi between Ukraine, Russia and the US have now begun, Rustem Umerov, Kyiv's national security council chief and top negotiator, has confirmed.

"The negotiation process started in a trilateral format - Ukraine, the United States, and Russia. Next comes work in separate groups by area, after which a follow-up joint synchronisation of positions is planned."

He says Ukraine's delegation is working "within the clear directives" of Volodymyr Zelenskyy "to achieve a dignified and lasting peace".

A spokesperson for Ukraine's foreign ministry says this round of talks will focus on "mainly military and military-political questions".

They added that recent Russian strikes on energy infrastructure "hinder" the peace process.

Welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine.

A second round of trilateral talks between the US, Ukraine and Russia are taking place in Abu Dhabi today, as efforts to reach a peace agreement continue.

In the build-up to the meeting, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a heavy wave of Russian attacks in Ukraine yesterday meant "the work of our negotiating team will be adjusted accordingly", as he met with NATO chief Mark Rutte in Kyiv.

Rutte questioned whether Russia was serious about ending the war, as Zelenskyy later said Moscow deployed a "record number" of ballistic missiles.

Stay with us as we bring you the latest.

Thank you for following our live coverage on Ukraine.

Ahead of tomorrow's US-brokered trilateral talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi, here are five key points from today:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: If the US and Europe can't stop Russian strikes - how can we believe they'll keep peace? He said the US had proposed to stop strikes on energy infrastructure to allow diplomacy and due to freezing temperatures in the country;
• Zelenskyy had earlier said in a news conference alongside NATO chief Mark Rutte that there needed to be dialogue with Russia, but "no one is ready to surrender";
• During the same news conference, Rutte condemned the latest attacks by Russia and questioned "whether Russians are serious" about ending the war. Rutte commended Donald Trump for "doing everything he can to bring this terrible war to an end";
• Zelenskyy wrote online that Russia's latest attack involved a "record number" of ballistic missiles and was deliberately aimed at Ukraine's energy infrastructure. He also said that "the work of our negotiating team will be adjusted accordingly" after the attack;
• White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was "unsurprised" by Russia's attack.

Watch: Fresh Russian strikes on Kyiv overnight