Overview
- Russian, U.S. and Ukrainian delegations held a second closed working‑group round in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Thursday, and the Kremlin says another round will follow soon.
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said a new round is not planned in the United States, pushing back on reports about a U.S. venue.
- An unknown assailant shot Lieutenant‑General Vladimir Alekseev in a Moscow residential building; he was hospitalized, a criminal case was opened, prosecutors took oversight, and President Vladimir Putin is receiving updates.
- Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said nuclear talks with the United States were set for the morning of February 6 in Muscat, with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff expected to attend.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry reported strikes on Ukrainian transport and energy sites as retaliatory actions, while Ukraine’s General Staff claimed January attacks on Russia’s Kapustin Yar test range using a domestically produced Flamingo cruise missile; these operational claims lack independent confirmation.