Kiev was hit by a new rocket attack hours after Russia said it was ready in principle to resume talks with Ukraine and the US. Several residential buildings were hit in the strike and six people were injured, the mayor of the Ukrainian capital, Vitali Klitschko, said.
The attack coincided with a new diplomatic attempt by the US administration to bring Moscow and Kiev back to the negotiating table. US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. The talks lasted about three hours.
After the meeting, Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said that Putin had confirmed Russia's readiness to resume trilateral talks around November 10. Abu Dhabi was mentioned as a possible venue for the meeting. According to Ushakov, the main topic should be “building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the end of the conflict“.
Ushakov also said that Russia has received new proposals from the United States, Kiev and European countries, but they have not been useful enough to resolve the war. He said Putin told Witkoff that Russian forces are advancing along the entire front line and retaining the strategic initiative. Ukraine and its European allies dispute this assessment and describe the situation on the battlefield as almost unchanged.
Zelensky allows freezing of the front
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country would accept an agreement that freezes the war along the current front line. “We call it a ceasefire or a halt to the killing, as President Trump called it. A freeze and a halt. "This is the minimum we need from Russia today," Zelensky told Fox News.
He added that the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine could be discussed after the cessation of hostilities. A day earlier, Zelensky met with Witkoff in Oslo. During the talks, security guarantees and proposals to stop attacks on energy infrastructure were discussed.
Witkoff described the meeting with Putin as constructive. Jared Kushner, who participated in the talks via video link, said: "There is still hard work ahead, but we have a real opportunity to put this war behind us and build a framework for lasting peace, security and prosperity for generations."
US President Donald Trump also said that the diplomatic process was approaching a breakthrough. "Maybe we're closer than ever," he said of the possibility of ending the war.
Tensions remain between Kiev and Washington
The new attempt at talks comes amid deepening disagreements between Ukraine and the United States. Trump said Ukraine needed a new president and called for "someone else" to negotiate on its behalf. He also blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries for the rise in fuel prices.
Kiev has also criticized Washington for restricting the exchange of intelligence needed to warn of Russian ballistic missiles. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed the allegations as outrageous, while Zelensky said the data sharing was already working.
Against this backdrop, Russia released 74-year-old American citizen Steven Hubbard, who was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison for allegedly fighting on the side of Ukraine. Trump said Hubbard was going home and that no swap was necessary.
The next possible round of talks will depend on whether Moscow, Kiev and Washington can agree on an agenda, security guarantees and terms for a cessation of hostilities.
Sources: bbc.com, apnews.com, investing.com