Ukraine confirms November trilateral summit with US and Russia

The war in Ukraine enters its 1,706th day with a confirmed date for new diplomatic engagement. A three-way meeting between Kyiv, Washington, and Moscow is scheduled for November to restart stalled peace negotiations, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy announced the timeline on Sunday in an interview with Ukraine’s TSN television channel. He stated that the leadership level is required to address territorial issues, while technical groups can handle other matters. The Ukrainian president also reiterated his desire for a direct meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, asserting that Putin is the sole figure in Moscow capable of making decisive moves to end the conflict.

Diplomatic friction has marked the lead-up to these talks. The US has pressured Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries to lower energy prices. Zelenskyy maintained that Ukraine will only stop these attacks if Moscow ceases its own strikes on power infrastructure, if the US permits Starshield satellite usage over Russia for missile detection, or if Washington supplies additional Patriot missiles.

Satellite internet capabilities have recently improved. Zelenskyy reported that SpaceX’s Starshield service restored full speeds of up to 420km/h on Saturday. This followed a meeting in Oslo with US special envoy Steve Witkoff. The service had been throttled earlier in October under diplomatic pressure from Washington.

Military operations continue at high intensity. Zelenskyy reported that Russia launched nearly 2,300 strike drones, 1,600 guided bombs, and 48 missiles at Ukraine over the past week. The Russian defence ministry claimed its drones hit two cargo vessels bound for the Black Sea ports of Chornomorsk and Odesa. Russian forces also struck logistics centers in Kharkiv overnight, according to the ministry. Ukrainian drones attacked the border city of Belgorod, killing three people and injuring 13 during an overnight strike. A separate strike later that day killed one more person. Regional governor Alexander Shuvayev said the attacks damaged 30 apartment buildings in Belgorod.

Political developments in the region also played out on Sunday. Bulgaria’s presidential election ended inconclusively, setting a runoff between incumbent Iliana Yotova and opposition candidate Andrey Gyurov. Yotova favors dialogue with Russia and opposes military aid to Ukraine. Gyurov supports Kyiv. The vote occurred amid security concerns following recent drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea.

Zelenskyy specified that Ukraine will not discuss limits on its armed forces or enforced postwar neutrality during the November trilateral talks. Kyiv has consistently sought NATO entry, a goal that remains complicated by the hesitancy of some current members.