Zelenskyy confirms November trilateral talks

The war between Russia and Ukraine has now lasted 1,706 days. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday that a trilateral meeting with the United States and Russia will take place in November to restart stalled peace negotiations.

Zelenskyy stated in an interview that Kyiv is ready to discuss territorial issues at the leadership level. He said other technical matters fall under the jurisdiction of working groups. The Ukrainian president also renewed his request for a direct meeting with Vladimir Putin. He believes Putin is the only Russian leader capable of making the major decisions needed to end the conflict.

Ukraine will not agree to limits on its armed forces or enforced postwar neutrality during the November talks, Zelenskyy said. Kyiv continues to seek entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a goal that has faced hesitation from some member states.

The Ukrainian president reported that US warnings about imminent Russian ballistic missile strikes have been fully restored. He told TSN television that SpaceX’s Starshield satellite internet has operated at speeds of up to 420 kilometers per hour since early Saturday. This service was throttled earlier in October following diplomatic pressure from Washington. Zelenskyy held a meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo recently.

The United States has pressured Ukraine to pause strikes on Russian oil refineries, citing rising energy prices. Zelenskyy said Kyiv will stop these strikes only if Moscow halts attacks on Ukrainian power infrastructure. He added that the US must also allow Starshield use over Russia to detect ballistic missile launches or provide Patriot missiles to Ukraine.

Russia launched nearly 2,300 drones at Ukrainian cities over the past week, Zelenskyy posted online. He counted about 1,600 guided bombs and 48 missiles of various types in the same period. The president called on Western allies to speed up deliveries of interceptors.

Russian forces struck a cargo vessel bound for the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk overnight. The Russian defense ministry said another cargo vessel en route to Odesa was hit during the day. It claimed the vessels were supplying the Ukrainian army. Russian forces also damaged a logistics center, a distribution center, and a logistics terminal in Kharkiv overnight. In Belgorod, a Ukrainian drone attack killed three people and injured 13. A separate strike later killed one person. Governor Alexander Shuvayev said 30 apartment buildings were damaged.