Ukraine: Witkoff meets Putin. Kremlin: ‘It is impossible to resolve the conflict without Kyiv’

Moscow’s opposition to a truce with Ukraine regarding the raids on energy facilities has not changed: “We need peace, not a ceasefire,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, as quoted by TASS, whilst President Vladimir Putin is preparing to meet US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.

It is impossible to reach a full resolution of the conflict in Ukraine without someone representing Kyiv being present, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said during a briefing, commenting on US President Donald Trump’s remarks regarding the possibility of an agreement in Ukraine without the presence of his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky. “Of course, it is impossible to fully resolve the Ukrainian issue without someone from Kyiv being present. Therefore, someone in Kyiv must take a responsible decision. This is crucial,” said Peskov, as quoted by TASS.

“I want to be absolutely clear: the EU sanctions against Russia will remain in place at least until the war is brought to an end.” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasised this during her address to the European Parliament’s plenary session.

Two people were killed and one was injured in today’s drone attack by Russian forces on a residential building in the Sviatoshynskyi district of Kyiv. The victims’ bodies were recovered by rescue workers whilst clearing the rubble.

According to the Ukrainian State Emergency Service, following the attack this morning, a flat on the 20th floor of a high-rise block caught fire. The bodies were found under the rubble, reports the Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda.

Yesterday’s talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump’s envoys led to mutual progress. This was emphasised by both sides, even as the US President continues to put pressure on his Ukrainian counterpart to force him to reach an agreement with Moscow. In Oslo, Zelensky held talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – the latter via video link for health reasons – as well as with the leaders of Norway and Finland.

The Ukrainian president welcomed the resumption of information-sharing by the United States and asked to be involved in any negotiations concerning his country’s future. For his part, a US official told AFP that the discussions had been “very productive and constructive”. “There is now a strong consensus between the United States, Ukraine and Europe on the next steps,” he added, noting that Witkoff will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin today to take the diplomatic process forward.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that the US President’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is travelling to St Petersburg. This was reported by TASS, citing Reuters. On 19 October, Axios correspondent Barak Ravid reported that Witkoff was hoping to visit Russia and meet Russian President Vladimir Putin after holding talks with Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo. Yesterday, a TASS source confirmed that Witkoff’s plans to visit Russia today had been confirmed.

Last night, Russian air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 373 Ukrainian drones in various regions of the country, including the Moscow region. The Russian Ministry of Defence announced this today in a statement reported by news agencies.

The Ukrainian armed forces have carried out a number of attacks on energy infrastructure in the Donbas and Crimea, according to the Kyiv Independent. Specifically, facilities in the town of Chystiakove, in the Donetsk Oblast, were targeted. In addition, power cuts have been reported in Crimea due to drone attacks, and a telecommunications site in Luhansk has been damaged. In the Krasnoperekopskyi district of Crimea, there have been drone attacks near the railway station

Two people have died and a further 11, including two children, have been injured in a Russian drone attack on the village of Korotych, in the Kharkiv region. This was reported by Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, as quoted by Ukrainska Pravda, who explained that as a result of the attack, 13 private homes and a car were damaged in the village, whilst a farm building was destroyed. The victims are an 81-year-old woman and an 83-year-old man.

White House envoy Steve Witkoff is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg today and present him with an updated proposal to end the war in Ukraine. Axios reports this, citing a US official, adding that Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, will take part in the meeting remotely. The White House, the publication notes, hopes that Putin will show greater willingness to compromise after Trump agreed to lift sanctions on Russian diesel sales and took other measures welcomed by Moscow. Witkoff will arrive in Russia following a day of talks in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the leaders of Norway and Finland, and representatives from France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, the European Union and NATO.

Zelensky stated that the next step should be a trilateral meeting between himself, Putin and Trump – a format that Russia has so far rejected. The United States hopes that the new proposal might “pave the way for direct trilateral negotiations and broader multilateral talks”, a US official said. The Oslo talks focused on drawing up a joint proposal for a framework agreement aimed at ending the war. According to the US official, Ukraine “put forward new ideas and proposals, which were discussed in detail”. The parties, he added, had made “significant progress” and achieved “strong alignment at the operational level” on the next steps.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the talks in Oslo between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff as “positive” and stated that the latter is now travelling to Russia. This was reported by AFP. “It was a positive meeting; nothing unexpected or surprising. Now, armed with these ideas, he will be able to travel to St Petersburg to share them with the Russian side. Let’s see if we can make some progress,” Rubio said during his visit to Mumbai.