Diplomatic opening on Ukraine war coincides with fresh Kyiv missile strike

Russia has indicated it is ready in principle to resume trilateral peace talks with Ukraine and the United States, according to comments reported by the BBC, hours before a new missile attack struck Kyiv. US President Donald Trump said the parties were “the closest we've been” to ending the war, but the diplomatic signal was accompanied by further civilian casualties and unresolved disagreements over the terms of any settlement. Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said several houses were hit in Wednesday night’s attack and that six people were injured.

The BBC reported that Russia had intensified missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in recent weeks. The latest strike came after US envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg. Witkoff’s meeting with Putin lasted about three hours.

It followed his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo, where Zelensky said proposals for an energy ceasefire and strong security guarantees for Ukraine had been discussed. Putin’s aide, Yuri Ushakov, subsequently characterised the Ukrainian ideas as not very useful, according to the BBC. The US diplomatic effort also involved Jared Kushner, who joined the discussions by video link.

Witkoff described the talks as constructive, while Kushner said that substantial work remained but that there was an opportunity to create a framework for peace, security and prosperity. The reports do not specify what concrete proposals Witkoff presented to Putin. Ushakov suggested that a new round of negotiations could take place around 10 November in Abu Dhabi.

He said the talks should address the construction of a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict. He also said Putin told Witkoff that Russian forces were advancing across the front and held the strategic initiative. Ukraine and its European allies dispute that assessment, pointing instead to what they describe as a near stalemate.

Zelensky has said he would accept an agreement freezing the conflict along the current front line. He described such a halt in fighting as the minimum Ukraine needed from Russia, while saying that security guarantees could be addressed afterwards. The negotiations had been paused in February.

The BBC reported that Russia blamed their disruption on large Ukrainian strikes during Russia’s general elections. Since then, Moscow has stepped up attacks, while Ukraine has faced shortages of Western-supplied interceptors used to defend against missiles. Russia currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, according to the report.

Trump’s statement that the war was nearer to ending reflects his repeated public claims that he can bring the conflict to a close, although the BBC noted that he has so far failed to do so. The renewed diplomacy is also taking place amid tensions between Washington and Kyiv over intelligence sharing, US policy towards Russia and restrictions affecting Ukraine’s use of Starlink. Before the Putin meeting, Russia released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old US citizen who had been jailed after allegedly fighting for Ukraine.

NDTV reported that Witkoff praised Putin as a “humanitarian” over the release. The separate accounts therefore show both a renewed diplomatic channel and continuing violence, with no agreement yet reported on a ceasefire or final settlement.