Volodymyr Zelensky has taunted Vladimir Putin, mocking the Russian leader by saying he is “still alive.”
The Ukrainian president spoke after two days of US-brokered negotiations in Abu Dhabi ended without an agreement to bring the war to a close.
Speaking from Copenhagen, Mr Zelensky said: “Nobody stopped Putin. Nobody destroyed him. And he is still alive.
“God bless, he is hearing us and listening to us. Maybe we’ll do something. It’s really a huge problem.”
There was little indication, however, that Mr Putin was seeking to end a conflict that has scarred Europe for almost five years.
Russia’s chief negotiator in Abu Dhabi, Vladimir Medinsky, declared: “Every inch of our land will be reclaimed by Russia, one way or another.”
Russia and Ukraine agreed to a major prisoner-of-war exchange, officials said on Wednesday as the talks concluded. However, they announced no significant progress toward ending the conflict.
Expectations for a breakthrough had been low ahead of the delegations’ first meeting in nine months.
Volodymyr Zelensky has taunted Vladimir Putin, saying the Russian leader is “still alive”
Flames rise from the remains of a residential building destroyed by a Russian airstrike in Zaporizhzhia
Jared Kushner speaks during a briefing held as part of the US-mediated Russia-Ukraine talks
Russia and Ukraine have carried out occasional POW exchanges, but they remain deeply divided over the terms of any peace settlement.
US officials say Washington remains committed to reviving its peace initiative, which has so far produced few meaningful results.
Alongside post-war security guarantees for both nations, negotiators face major disputes over Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory and the role European countries would play in any eventual agreement.
The meeting was the first of its kind since February regarding Russia’s invasion, a conflict that analysts and humanitarian organisations say has killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and thousands of civilians.
“One of the positives is that we agreed we’re going to have the biggest humanitarian release of prisoners, and we’re going to finalise the numbers tomorrow,” said Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
Mr Medinsky, who heads Russia’s delegation, and Rustem Umerov, who led Kyiv’s team, confirmed the planned exchange, although Mr Medinsky stressed that the agreement remained “in principle.”
Mr Kushner said he and US envoy Steve Witkoff would travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet President Vladimir Putin before flying to Dublin, Ireland, for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr Umerov said Ukraine’s delegation was also expected to meet on Wednesday with representatives of European governments, the European Union and Nato. Those officials were in the United Arab Emirates’ capital but did not take part in the three-way negotiations.
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Moscow has opposed the involvement of European countries, which remain concerned about Russia’s actions and wider ambitions on the continent. Mr Kushner said one objective of the Moscow meeting was to explore bringing European representatives into the negotiations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said European representatives could eventually join the peace process, but argued that their current statements “don’t indicate any desire on their part to contribute to movement along the path toward peace.”
Moscow has repeatedly criticised Europe for financing Ukraine and supplying it with weapons.
Mr Kushner said both Russia and Ukraine needed clarity over post-war security arrangements. He added that European nations, the EU and Nato would need to participate in those discussions to create agreement on the next steps.
Ukraine wants assurances that Moscow will not launch another invasion, while EU officials have said discussions about Europe’s security framework can begin only after a ceasefire.
Many European governments view Russia’s inclusion in such arrangements as a concession to Mr Putin, who has described Nato’s eastward expansion as a major security threat. Russia has demanded that the alliance withdraw troops from areas near its borders.
Mr Kushner said Russia’s security concerns were discussed during the talks, but added that Moscow had been told to put forward different de-escalation measures and proposals if it wanted them to be acceptable to Europe.
There was little evidence that Putin was pursuing an end to the war, which has scarred Europe for almost five years
A residential building burns after being damaged in a Russian military strike
A police officer carries an injured dog to safety after a Russian airstrike in Zaporizhzhia
“The reality is, there’s no trust right now between the sides. And that’s to be expected after a conflict like this,” he said.
The circumstances surrounding the negotiations have shifted since the previous meeting in Geneva in February.
The Trump administration must now contend with Democrats taking control of the US Congress in January after the midterm elections, potentially increasing pressure for greater support for Ukraine.
At the same time, Russia’s wartime economy is under significant strain, while Ukraine is struggling to recover from devastating attacks on its power infrastructure.
The talks took place as fighting continued along the front line, where little territory has changed hands this year. Both sides have continued to launch long-range missile and drone attacks.
Three people were killed and 11 injured after Russia carried out a daytime strike on a market in the southern Odesa region, local authorities said. Residential buildings were damaged, and emergency teams were deployed, according to Oleh Kiper, head of the regional military administration.
During the night, Russia attacked the southern Zaporizhzhia region and the eastern city of Kharkiv, injuring seven civilians and damaging property, Ukrainian officials said.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences destroyed 627 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 150 over the area around St Petersburg, according to regional governor Alexander Drozdenko.
The drone attack sparked a fire at the port of Ust-Luga, one of Russia’s main oil-export facilities, injuring three workers, he added.
