Russia Says No to Ceasefire Talks, Pushes New Demands

Peace talks in Abu Dhabi stall as Russia ignores pleas for a ceasefire and instead demands Ukraine pull back its troops.

Peace talks in Abu Dhabi have run into a wall. Officials from Ukraine were hoping to discuss a ceasefire, which would stop the fighting, and talk about keeping energy plants safe. Russia said no to those ideas. On the second day of the meetings, Russia changed the subject. Instead of talking about stopping the war or giving land back, they started talking about European security. They also told Ukraine that its army must leave the Donbas region entirely. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia is not interested in de-escalation, which means cooling things down. He says Russia w…