Missiles struck Ukraine’s capital Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday, hours after Russia said it was ready in principle to resume trilateral peace talks with Ukraine and the United States, in a stark reminder that diplomacy and fighting are advancing side by side. The Kyiv missiles peace talks moment captures both tracks at once: negotiators talking about a settlement while the capital comes under fire again.
According to Reuters, a witness in Kyiv reported missiles striking the city early on Thursday, in a fresh attack that followed a Russian evening air strike which injured six people and damaged homes, a petrol station and transport equipment. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that the city had come under missile attack and urged residents to remain in shelters, while the city’s military administration said missiles hit private homes and a petrol station on the eastern side of the Dnipro River, which bisects the city.
FAKTA
- What happened: Missiles struck Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday, following a Wednesday evening ballistic missile attack on the capital.
- Casualties so far: Six people were injured in the Wednesday evening strike, four of them taken to hospital, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
- Damage reported: Private homes, a petrol station and transport equipment were damaged east of the Dnipro River.
- Diplomatic track: Russia has agreed in principle to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States, possibly after 10 November, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.
- Last talks: No trilateral talks have taken place since February.
- Ukrainian position: President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Ukraine supports talks as soon as possible, preferably no later than early November.
Kyiv Missiles Peace Talks: Strikes Follow Diplomatic Breakthrough
The timing of the strikes drew attention because they came immediately after a renewed diplomatic push led by United States envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Witkoff held about three hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday, with Kushner joining by video link, a day after Witkoff had met Zelenskiy and the leaders of Norway and Finland in Oslo.
After the St Petersburg meeting, Ushakov told reporters that Putin had agreed in principle to resume trilateral talks, adding that any negotiations should focus on security guarantees for Russia and Ukraine once the conflict ends. He also described the ideas brought to Moscow as not very useful, a signal that major differences remain despite the agreement to talk.
Zelenskiy, speaking to journalists as he returned to Kyiv from Norway, said Ukraine had received feedback that Russia supports a trilateral meeting at the level of negotiating teams. “The American side has proposed holding it as soon as possible and we support that,” he said, adding that Kyiv supports “any proposals for a ceasefire, an end to the war, an energy ceasefire as well as humanitarian initiatives”.
What the Talks Could Cover
Officials have floated Abu Dhabi as a possible venue for a fresh round involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States around 10 November. Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that Ukraine could accept an agreement that freezes positions along the current front line, describing that as the minimum needed from Russia now, with firm security guarantees to be discussed afterwards.
United States President Donald Trump said the effort may now be the closest yet to ending the war. “The other day I was talking to Vladimir Putin about settling his war with Ukraine, which I think we’re getting closer to, by the way, maybe now the closest we’ve been,” Trump said. Three-way talks have been stalled since February, a period in which Russia increased its strikes while Ukraine faced shortages of Western-supplied interceptors.
The fighting has continued on both sides. In Russia, in the city of Lipetsk, about 400 kilometres south of Moscow, a man was injured as drones hit apartment buildings and a medical facility, Governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram. Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and now controls roughly a fifth of Ukrainian territory.
Why It Matters
The return to talks offers a diplomatic opening after months without trilateral negotiations, but the strikes on Kyiv underline how far the two sides remain from a ceasefire. For residents of the capital, the sequence of the week has been talks about peace abroad and missiles at home, and any negotiation will have to bridge that gap before it can stop the fighting.
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