Sawt Falasteen - US optimistic on Ukraine talks but Russian bombardments hammer Kyiv

Negotiators from the United States, Ukraine and Russia were meeting behind closed doors in Abu Dhabi, US and British media reported.

The White House cited "tremendous progress," while cautioning "there are a few delicate but not insurmountable details that must be sorted out."

This "will require further talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X.

US negotiator Dan Driscoll emerged upbeat from meeting with Russian counterparts, his spokesman saying: "The talks are going well and we remain optimistic."

Frantic discussions have been underway since the weekend when Ukrainian and US representatives huddled in Geneva on a controversial 28-point plan from President Donald Trump that heavily favored Russian war demands.

The war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, continued unabated.

Powerful explosions rocked Kyiv beginning around 1:00 am (2300 GMT), as Russian drones and missiles rained down, setting fires in apartment buildings. City officials said seven people were killed.

Thick smoke, turning red and orange in the blizzard of Ukrainian air defense fire, rose over the capital as residents fled underground into metro stations, AFP reporters said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga called the barrage Russian President Vladimir Putin's "terrorist response" to the negotiations.

Russia fired 464 drones and 22 missiles overnight, Ukraine's air force said, while Ukraine fired almost 250 of its own drones at Russia, according to Russian authorities.

Three people were killed in the southern Russian border region of Rostov, authorities said, with the governor of nearby Krasnodar calling it one of the "most sustained and massive attacks" of the war.

- 'Tough road ahead' -

Trump, who came into office boasting he could negotiate an end to the Ukraine war in 24 hours, has grown increasingly frustrated. Last week, he said he wanted Ukraine to agree to his latest plan by the US Thanksgiving holiday -- this Thursday.

But the 28-point plan quickly ran into opposition in Ukraine and Europe.

The draft called for enshrining key Russian war aims, including prohibiting Ukraine from ever joining NATO and requiring the country to surrender swaths of new territory to Russia.

An updated -- as yet unpublished -- version that took into account more of Ukraine's position was thrashed out in Geneva but clearly remains unfinished.

Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said Tuesday there was "common understanding on the core terms of the agreement" between Ukraine and the US.

However, remaining details should be hammered out in direct talks between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump, he said.

"We look forward to organizing a visit of Ukraine’s President to the US at the earliest suitable date in November to complete final steps," Umerov said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned: "There's still a long way to go and a tough road ahead."

- No 'capitulation' -

Leaders of a group of 30 countries supporting Ukraine met by video on Tuesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron stressed opposition to "capitulation" for Ukraine and said the onus was on the Kremlin to negotiate.

"The only question we don't have an answer to is whether Russia is ready to make a lasting peace," he said in an interview with RTL radio.

Russia's military occupies around a fifth of Ukraine, much of it ravaged by fighting. Tens of thousands of civilians and military personnel have been killed and millions have fled the east of the country.

Ukrainian army Sergeant Ivan Zadontsev said negotiating was "healthy."

"We also are getting tired of war. We need a break," he told AFP.

But the proposals by both the United States and EU "do not serve Ukraine's national interests," he said.

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D.Khalil--SF-PST