Russia and Ukraine Step Up Attacks Amid Talk of Renewed Talks, With Abu Dhabi Floated for a Trilateral Meeting
Even as the United States pursues a fresh diplomatic effort to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, the two countries have stepped up attacks on each other. On Thursday Russia launched ballistic missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and several other regions, while Russian authorities said hundreds of drones were sent toward Moscow. Against that backdrop of attack and counter-attack, leaders on both sides have hinted that US-mediated talks could resume next month.
According to a Reuters report, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia fired at least 21 ballistic missiles in three waves. Three of them carried cluster warheads, he said. Such weapons spread over a wide area and pose a major risk to civilians.
According to Zelensky, the attacks across 12 regions killed two people and wounded 34, including five children. Regional officials, however, reported higher casualty figures in some areas, so a full picture of the damage may take more time to emerge.
Russia, for its part, said 630 Ukrainian drones were sent toward Moscow overnight. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said two people were injured near the capital in the drone attack. Most of the drones were shot down in distant areas, he said.
Amid all this, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is ready to resume US-mediated talks with Ukraine. He made the remarks in an interview on Russian television on Thursday, after meeting US President's special envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday.
In Putin's view, one of the main goals of talks should be to guarantee the security of Russia, Ukraine and Europe after the war ends. The Kremlin said the proposed trilateral talks would be held at a technical level and could begin in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on November 10 or later.
Putin and Witkoff met for about three hours at a royal palace in St Petersburg. It was their ninth direct meeting. The discussion was part of ongoing US efforts to end Europe's bloodiest conflict since the Second World War.
The two sides, however, described the outcome differently. A senior Kremlin official said the meeting was brief and brought no significant progress, and that US proposals were handed to Putin for review. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Russia was not fully satisfied on these issues.
Before the meeting, Witkoff met in Oslo, the Norwegian capital, with Zelensky and the leaders of Finland and Norway, along with European and NATO representatives. A US official said Ukraine presented some new ideas and proposals in those discussions.
Zelensky also expressed hope that talks between the two countries could be held in early November, for the first time since February. He hopes to discuss the key issues of ending the war in a trilateral meeting with Putin and Trump. The Kremlin, however, says careful preparation through aides is needed before any leaders' meeting.
The gap over terms remains wide. Under Russia's conditions, Ukraine would have to cede more territory, limit the size of its military and refrain from joining military alliances. Putin's core demands include full Russian control over eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, ruling out Ukraine's NATO membership, and a full peace agreement instead of a temporary ceasefire. Kyiv has rejected those conditions as a demand for surrender.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said Starlink satellite internet service has been restored in Ukraine. He did not directly answer whether he had discussed it with Elon Musk, saying the main point was that the service was back on. Zelensky, however, said Starlink speeds have not yet returned to previous levels and most restrictions on the service remain in place. Because Starlink plays an important role in battlefield communications and drone operations, those limits are affecting Ukraine's military activities.
Tension has also grown recently between the United States and Ukraine. Trump has criticised Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries. Kyiv, meanwhile, has complained about US roles in early-warning information on Russian missile attacks and in supplying some European-bought missile defence systems. Washington has denied allegations of a policy change aimed at weakening Ukraine's military capability.
Fighting on the ground has not stopped either. Russia said it carried out a major attack on port infrastructure and military-use vessels in Ukraine's Odesa region, while Russian attacks in various Ukrainian regions were reported to have caused casualties and infrastructure damage. At Wednesday's meeting Putin also offered to help ease US concerns over Iran's nuclear programme, citing Russia's long-standing relationship with Tehran.
All in all, the diplomatic door has not closed completely even as fighting continues. But the wide gap between the two sides over territory, security guarantees and military alliances leaves uncertainty over how much progress any new talks can make.
