Russia agrees to resume Ukraine peace talks as missiles hit Kyiv — SkimNews
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- Putin told US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg that Russia is "ready in principle" to resume three-way peace talks, with aide Yuri Ushakov proposing a new round around November 10 in Abu Dhabi focused on a post-war security system.
- Missiles struck Kyiv on Wednesday night, hitting several houses and injuring six people, just hours after Russia's announcement — underscoring the gap between diplomatic language and battlefield reality since the February pause in talks.
- Zelensky said he would accept a deal to freeze the war along the current front line, calling it "minimum what we need from Russia today," while noting "strong" security guarantees and an energy ceasefire were discussed in Oslo with Witkoff and the leaders of Norway and Finland.
- Trump claimed the world is "the closest we've been" to ending the war, though his envoys' proposals were dismissed as "not very useful" by Putin's aide, and the talks coincide with a US-Ukraine row over lifted Russia sanctions, Starlink speed restrictions, and alleged withheld missile intelligence.
- Russia released 74-year-old American detainee Stephen Hubbard ahead of the talks; Trump said "there was no 'swap' necessary," while Witkoff called Putin a "humanitarian" — a characterization Vice President JD Vance declined to endorse, saying diplomats say "something nice" to people who release hostages.
- Russia and Ukraine remain at odds on the front line, with Ushakov claiming Russian troops have "strategic initiative" and are advancing everywhere, while Ukraine and its European allies describe a virtual stalemate — the baseline Zelensky's proposed freeze would lock in.
Why it matters: Zelensky's willingness to accept a front-line freeze marks his most concrete concession yet, putting the diplomatic ball squarely in Putin's court before the proposed November 10 Abu Dhabi meeting — but Russia's simultaneous missile strike on Kyiv hours after announcing readiness for talks exposes the credibility gap that has stalled every previous round.
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