Trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi between Russia, Ukraine and the US aimed at ending the war in Ukraine have concluded after a second day. Although the American side said they saw some openings, there was no hint of any breakthroughs to end the nearly five year-long war sparked by Russia's invasion. Davyd Arakhamia from Ukraine's negotiating team said that this round of talks - the first since February - was one of the hardest. I believe the Russians came with very strict directives, so it was extremely difficult to soften the discussion, he said. But he added that he felt good momentum and urged for a second round of talks to be organised as soon as possible.

Is the war entering a new phase? Russia and Ukraine have traded drone attacks on each other's infrastructure, causing injuries on both sides. Moscow said on Thursday that it struck a postal logistics hub, a power substation and a cargo ship, while Ukrainian drones set off fires in an industrial zone in the Russian city of Ryazan, about 200km (125 miles) southeast of the capital. It said it also struck a 330-kilovolt substation in the Dnipropetrovsk region and a dry cargo ship carrying military equipment in the Black Sea, 52km (32 miles) southwest of the port of Odesa. Ukrainian officials did not immediately confirm the strikes on the postal terminal or the vessel.

Is the war entering a new phase? Three black naval drones resembling oversized plastic toys struck a freighter sluggishly navigating the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria on October 28. Aerial drones joined the attack, and explosions rocked the Liberian-flagged Contship Jet Monrovia, loaded with more than 400 terracotta-coloured containers. The vessel, travelling from the Israeli port of Haifa to Romania, listed and sank, but all 18 crew members were rescued, Bulgarian authorities said. The drones were Russian, Kyiv claimed, adding that the attack was designed to make the Black Sea unsafe for civilian ships, paralyse Ukraine's exports of grain and further hobble its war-ravaged economy.

Is the war entering a new phase? The longest multi-day truce between Russia and Ukraine, limited to Ukraine's eastern Kherson region, has come to an end with no violations reported by either side, but also no sign of an extension. The truce, which ended on Sunday night, allowed hundreds of besieged residents of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky to be evacuated in a rare joint operation between Kyiv and Moscow. In Russia, meanwhile, authorities reported major damage to an industrial site following Ukrainian drone attacks on the Nizhny Novgorod region. The six-day localised ceasefire in the front-line Oleshky and the surrounding area was reached after mediation efforts by United States First Lady Melania Trump and with the involvement of Pope Leo XIV.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a security alert warning of a potential mass casualty event at the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve.

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Is the war entering a new phase? NATO is deploying additional patrol aircraft and intelligence personnel to the Black Sea, a spokesman for the alliance said, after a series of deadly drone attacks in the region widely blamed on Russia but denied by the Kremlin. "Allies have or will send additional maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems, explosive exploitation teams, intelligence personnel, drones and more to the Black Sea," said Colonel Martin O'Donnell on Tuesday. NATO, along with Bulgaria and Romania, has not directly attributed the recent spate of attacks to any country. Military analysts have said Russia almost certainly carried out the attacks but Moscow has not acknowledged any responsibility.

Is the war entering a new phase? At least one person has been killed, and five others injured after Ukraine launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia, one of Kyiv's largest aerial strikes in the war. St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said firefighters were battling fires sparked by Sunday's attacks on the St Petersburg oil terminal, the Ruchi oil depot and industrial warehouses in the Kolpinsky district south of the city. The attack disrupted flights at St Petersburg's main airport, one of the country's busiest, which was restricting operations "for safety reasons", Beglov said. Russian e-commerce company Ozon said there was a fire at its logistics hub in St Petersburg.

Donald Trump's Russian diesel deal with Vladimir Putin faces bipartisan opposition as lawmakers question whether easing Russia sanctions will lower prices or aid Ukraine peace.

Is the war entering a new phase? Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's St Petersburg kills 1, hits energy sites Share Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's St Petersburg kills 1, hits energy sites on social media A "massive" Ukrainian drone attack on St Petersburg in Russia has killed at least one person and injured five others, the city's governor said on Sunday. Alexandre Beglov said firefighters were battling blazes at the St Petersburg oil terminal, the Ruchi oil depot and industrial warehouses in the Kolpino district south of the city. City authorities said the attack disrupted flights at St Petersburg's main airport, one of the country's busiest, which was restricting operations "for safety reasons", Beglov said. Russian e-commerce company Ozon said there was a fire at its logistics hub in St Petersburg, and the internet company VK said its data centre in the Leningrad region had been attacked by drones, adding that normal services were available to users.