Ukraine's gas facilities have suffered severe damage from Russian drone and missile attacks, forcing the country to import more gas

As Washington ramps up its negotiations with Ukraine and Russia and U.S. President Donald Trump expresses optimism that a peace deal could be close, there are still some very critical and contentious issues on which Kyiv and Moscow are in deep disagreement.

US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll held meetings with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi on Monday about a proposed plan for ending the war in Ukraine, with talks to continue Tuesday, a US official told CNN.

Ukrainian officials remain determinedly upbeat in comments on the new US push to end the war with Russia, but people in Kyiv fear that a deal would strongly favour Moscow, impose unacceptable terms on Ukraine and fail to prevent any future Kremlin aggression.

U.S. and Ukrainian officials sought to narrow the gaps between them on Monday over a plan to end the war in Ukraine, after agreeing to modify a U.S. proposal that Kyiv and its European allies saw as a Kremlin wish list.

The Trump administration’s Army secretary will sit down Tuesday with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi to present a slimmed-down plan to end Moscow’s 33-month-old invasion of Ukraine.

Russia launched a wave of attacks on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv early Tuesday, striking residential buildings and energy infrastructure, according to video footage and local authorities.

In 1994 Russia and Kyivs western allies signed the Budapest Memorandum guaranteeing Ukraine’s sovereignty. It wasn’t worth the paper it was written on.

U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll attends a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, November 20, 2025. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.