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Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on Ukraine early Saturday, targeting major cities and critical energy infrastructure even as delegations from Ukraine, Russia and the United States were meeting in Abu Dhabi for Washington-brokered peace talks, Azernews reports citing Reuters.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of acting “cynically,” saying the timing of the assault demonstrated Moscow’s disregard for diplomacy. “This barbaric attack once again proves that Putin’s place is not at the board of peace, but at the dock of the special tribunal,” Sybiha wrote on X.

According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia fired 375 drones and 21 missiles, striking Kyiv and Kharkiv in several waves. At least one person was killed and 23 others were injured. The attacks once again focused on energy facilities, cutting electricity and heating supplies across large parts of the capital during sub-zero temperatures.

Ukraine’s deputy prime minister said around 800,000 residents in Kyiv were left without power following the strikes, adding to the strain after repeated mass attacks since the start of the year that have damaged hundreds of residential buildings.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that it was too early to draw conclusions from the first day of talks, urging Russia to demonstrate genuine readiness to end the war. The negotiations were expected to resume for a final day on Saturday.

Moscow, however, showed no sign of softening its position. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia continued to insist that Ukraine relinquish control over the remaining eastern territories of Donbas, including parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Putin’s demand that Ukraine surrender roughly 5,000 square kilometres of Donetsk still under Kyiv’s control remains a major obstacle to any agreement.

Zelenskiy has repeatedly ruled out territorial concessions, arguing that Russia has failed to seize the areas militarily despite years of attritional warfare. Polls indicate limited public support in Ukraine for giving up land as part of a settlement.

Russia maintains it is open to a diplomatic solution but says it will pursue its objectives by military means as long as negotiations fail to deliver results.