Russia and Ukraine exchanged airstrikes overnight as officials in Brussels concluded a second day of discussions on Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction and security guarantees, the Associated Press reported on Thursday.

The talks focused on arrangements for rebuilding the country and security assurances that could apply if the fighting ends. US envoy Steve Witkoff described his discussions with Ukrainian officials as productive, according to the AP. The meeting was part of diplomatic efforts continuing alongside the war; it did not produce a publicly announced ceasefire.

The latest attacks underscored the gap between those discussions and conditions on the ground. Ukraine’s air force said its defences shot down or suppressed 105 of 128 Russian attack drones overnight and into Thursday. Ukrainian officials said Russian strikes wounded four people in the Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv regions. Those figures are claims from Ukrainian authorities, as reported by the AP, and are not independent assessments of all damage or casualties.

Negotiations continue alongside the fighting

The Brussels meetings addressed reconstruction and security guarantees for a possible postwar period. Officials have also discussed further trilateral talks involving the United States, Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi. The precise agenda and any outcome of future meetings remain subject to confirmation by the governments involved.

Security guarantees are a central and contested issue: they concern what protections Ukraine could receive against renewed attack, and which governments would commit to them. Reconstruction planning is similarly tied to the duration and terms of any eventual settlement.

For now, diplomacy and military action are proceeding in parallel. The Brussels discussions are evidence of continued engagement, but a meeting described as productive is not itself an agreement. The next indicators will be whether the governments announce a confirmed negotiating schedule, define proposals publicly, or make measurable progress toward reducing the attacks.