Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine face a major hurdle. The core issue is the disputed Donetsk region. Russia wants Ukraine to cede territory it currently controls. Ukraine insists on retaining its land.

By Anna Pruchnicka KYIV, Jan 23 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that the vital question of territory in Ukraine's war with Russia would be discussed at U.S.-brokered trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on Friday and Saturday.

Ukraine reported additional strikes on military targets in Russian-occupied regions, including Crimea, Kherson and Donetsk oblasts.

Russian drone strikes in eastern Ukraine kill four, including a child, and injure several others, report local authorities.

High-level diplomatic engagements between Russia, Ukraine and the US have renewed speculation that the nearly four-year war may be nearing an end. Putin has held talks with US envoys, while Trump has met Zelensky amid renewed efforts to push for a peace deal.

As Russia’s war in Ukraine nears its fourth year, children orphaned by Russian shelling describe surviving injuries, displacement and loss while growing up in hospitals, courtrooms and makeshift homes across the country.