Latest news on the war in Ukraine. The ceasefire in Oleshky holds. Zelensky acknowledges the need for security guarantees from Russia

The Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating two Belarusians who are alleged to have planned an act of sabotage in the Nuremberg area, Germany. According to information obtained by *Der Spiegel* from security service sources, the suspects apparently intended to start a fire near a railway line and a power line. The two men – aged 39 and 50 – have been in pre-trial detention since the beginning of October. Meanwhile, the Romanian security authorities are also investigating the Belarusians: they are reportedly involved in an arson attack on an industrial estate in the Romanian city of Brașov on the night of 13–14 September. An arms manufacturer is also based in that town. According to information from the Romanian intelligence service (SRI), the accused are believed to be part of a Russian-controlled espionage and sabotage network.

Residents of Oleshky who choose to evacuate the town to reach unoccupied Ukrainian territory will board a Russian military aircraft that will take them to Belarus, Fox News reports, citing documents relating to the agreements between Kyiv and Moscow. The Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, will accompany them. The first stop on their journey will be Anapa, in Russia, followed by Gomel, in Belarus, on the 31st. “At least once a month, further repatriation operations will be organised” from locations in the Kherson region, thanks to the assistance and coordination provided by Melania Trump.

“I believe that a party conference is the quintessential forum for expressing one’s views; I congratulate Matteo Salvini on his re-election and I think he has every right to highlight a sentiment, a mood amongst his supporters” but “the prevailing view amongst the governing majority is that the best way to ensure peace is to continue supporting Ukraine, so I do not expect that position to change”. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made these remarks in response to questions about Matteo Salvini’s position on Kyiv at the Lega congress, following the Council of Ministers meeting on the budget.

La premier Giorgia Meloni con i ministri Antonio Tajani e Matteo Salvini nella conferenza stampa al termine del Consiglio dei ministri che ha approvato la manovra, Roma 28 ottobre 2026. ANSA/ RICCARDO ANTIMIANI

NAIROBI – In October 2019, at the first Sochi summit, Vladimir Putin had reiterated the slogan underlying the entire event: Africa is a ‘priority’ on the Kremlin’s agenda and in the new global balance of power. Seven years and two summits on, Moscow is seeking to reaffirm and expand this vision. Putin welcomed a total of 22 African heads of state and 48 delegations from the continent to Moscow for the third Africa–Russia Summit, following the inaugural summit in Sochi and the second in St Petersburg in 2023.

The summit, originally scheduled to take place in Libya, focuses on the key aspects of bilateral relations and the issues that carry the most weight in the balance of power: the framework for security agreements with Russian contractors, the push to strengthen still fragile economic ties, and diplomatic manoeuvring regarding the continent as a political bloc within the UN, starting with the stance on the war in Ukraine and the urgent need to counterbalance ‘Western pressures’ in the interpretation of the conflict. The very same powers that were accused in 2023 of having interfered with the summit and reduced the number of guest leaders compared to the record turnout of 43 heads of state and government present in Sochi. Africa is a key player ‘in a changing world’, Putin declared, framing it within the ‘multipolar world’ and calling for it to play a different role amongst global institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

The trilateral talks between representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the United States will take place without the participation of the Europeans. This was stated by Yuri Ushakov, adviser to the Russian president, on the Vesti news channel. “We have agreed to resume the trilateral talks with representatives from Russia, Ukraine and the United States. The Europeans can take part if they buy a ticket. But no one intends to invite them to the negotiating table,” he said. When asked whether the participation of European representatives in the trilateral talks had been discussed during the recent telephone call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, Ushakov replied: “No, it was not mentioned during the conversation.”

Volodymyr Zelensky has acknowledged for the first time that the need for security guarantees raised by Russia could be included in a future agreement to end the war in Ukraine. “First we must resolve the issue of this war, and only then seek answers to the demands that Russia is raising on the basis of its own views and expectations regarding security,” the Ukrainian President told journalists. “We can discuss the conceptual issues raised by the Russians with the United States acting as mediator. But if we start talking about a framework for security guarantees and it is decided that these guarantees will require Europe’s involvement, then Europe must take part in the discussions,” he added.

The exact date of the meeting between representatives of Russia, the United States and Ukraine will be announced shortly, and officials in Moscow believe the meeting will take place in mid-November. This was stated by Yuri Ushakov, an adviser to the Russian president.

“We have not yet set a specific date. We have said that it will take place in mid-November, in the first ten days of November, but so far we have not announced the exact date,” Ushakov said in an interview with the Vesti broadcaster. Previously, the Ukrainian side had reported that the trilateral talks could take place on 10 November.

An unprecedented move on the post-Cold War military front by the United Kingdom, which is reported to have decided to deploy three of its four currently operational Vanguard-class submarines simultaneously – the sole instruments of Britain’s national nuclear deterrent. The rumour, first reported yesterday by an unofficial defence source quoted by *The Times*, was subsequently picked up by other media outlets across the Channel against a backdrop of winds of war and threats – whether real or feared – recently raised by various quarters in relation to theescalating tensions linked to the war between Russia and Ukraine and the prospects of conflict in the Middle East. This is a completely ‘unusual’ move, according to experts, all the more so because – according to the source cited by The Times – one of the submarines in question is in fact equipped with nuclear weapons (Trident II ballistic missiles). It is, of course, unclear where the vessels were deployed at sea, nor the reasons behind the three simultaneous missions. The media, however, are presenting this as a possible indication of an improvement in the operational capabilities of this crucial branch of the Royal Navy: one that has been largely hampered by technical difficulties and overhaul or maintenance work in recent years. An ‘improvement’ which, in the words of some analysts, is set to be ‘noted by both NATO allies and the United Kingdom’s enemies’, Moscow foremost among them.

The involvement of European countries in the negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine was not discussed during yesterday’s telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin, his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. This was stated by Russian presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov. “This did not come up during the phone call,” said Ushakov, as quoted by the Tass news agency, in response to a question about whether the matter had been discussed. Ushakov added that the date of the new trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US in Abu Dhabi, scheduled for next month, would be announced “soon”, but he did not confirm the statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said the meeting could take place on 10 November.

The six-day ceasefire agreed for the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky is holding. A humanitarian operation is rushing to provide urgently needed food and medicines to the approximately 2,000 remaining residents, as well as to evacuate those who wish to leave. If the ceasefire, which is due to last until Sunday, holds, it will be the first time since the Russian invasion that the two sides have observed a meaningful truce. Previous attempts to halt the fighting have either failed to gain traction or have quickly unravelled due to deep-seated mistrust. A US representative will join Russian and Ukrainian civilian officials as they enter Oleshky. “As soon as the road (to Oleshky) has been cleared of mines and the humanitarian aid has been delivered on site, representatives from the three countries – Ukraine, the United States and the Russian Federation – will be present on the ground,” said Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets. Evacuated residents will be free to choose between Ukraine and Russia as their destination, Lubinets added in an interview with the private Ukrainian television channel 1+1.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in an interview with The Sun that talks between Ukraine, the United States and Russia to end the war could take place on 10 November. This was reported by RBC Ukraine. The talks were initially scheduled for the end of next month. However, according to Zelensky, the meeting could take place as early as 10 November. The president said that Kyiv wants the negotiations to begin as soon as possible and had proposed holding the meeting this Sunday. However, he decided to wait until the US elections were over.

“Elon Musk is a genius, a true genius.” This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to an exhibition as part of the Russia-Africa Summit, emphasising that Moscow maintains close contacts with the United States and with the American entrepreneur himself on the subject of low-Earth orbit satellite constellations, despite the political differences between the two countries. “How many satellites does he have in orbit? More than five thousand. We are only taking our first steps, but we are proud to have started doing so independently,” said the Kremlin leader. “We are in close contact with our American partners, including Musk, because in space it is very important not to get in each other’s way and to respect a certain discipline and order,” explained Putin, as quoted by Interfax – “Both we and our American partners attach great importance to this collaboration and, despite all the political issues, we continue to work closely together. Roscosmos and other companies are doing the same.”

**Ukraine: Moscow: ‘Lavrov in the US for the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting’**

Moscow, 28 Oct. (Adnkronos) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to Atlanta on 30 and 31 October to attend the G20 ministerial meeting. This was announced by the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova. “Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will lead our delegation to the G20 ministerial meeting. The G20 is currently meeting under the US presidency, and a ministerial meeting in this format will take place on 30–31 October in Atlanta, in the United States,” said Zakharova during a press briefing, adding that most of the organisational issues relating to the Russian delegation’s stay in the United States “were resolved at the last minute”.

The talks in Abu Dhabi between the United States, Russia and Ukraine will focus on possible security guarantees for Moscow and Kyiv once the war has ended. This is reported by the Financial Times, citing sources who say that Washington had previously linked future guarantees for Ukraine to territorial concessions but has since indicated that it does not intend to press Kyiv to cede territory at the negotiating table.

Yesterday’s telephone call between the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Store, and Vladimir Putin ‘took place on a bilateral basis and follows on from the meeting held in Oslo last week. As we have previously stated, the EU is united in its commitment not only to ending this terrible war, but also to achieving a peace that is just and sustainable. What matters is maintaining a united message on this issue, regardless of the talks to be held with President Putin.” This was stated by a spokesperson for the European Commission during the regular press briefing.

“We have legislation in place that prevents us from resuming imports of fossil fuels from Russia.” This was stated by EU Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho in response to a question about press reports suggesting that Moscow and Washington are discussing the reopening of the Nord Stream pipeline and the resumption of Russian gas flows to Europe once the war in Ukraine has ended. “President von der Leyen,” she added, “has stated very clearly that energy sanctions will remain in place until Russia brings this war to an end. We know only too well the hidden costs of our dependence on Russia for fossil fuels. These resources have been turned into a weapon, and we have paid the price. Let us not forget that,’ she concluded.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine was aware that the leaders of Norway and Finland were preparing to hold talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and that it had also been informed of the purpose of the conversation. This was reported by RBC Ukraine. According to the President, on the night of 26–27 October he spoke with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. The talks followed a meeting in Oslo and took place before their telephone call with Putin.

No violations have been reported so far of the humanitarian ceasefire agreed between Russia and Ukraine for the town of Oleshky, in the Ukrainian region of Kherson, which came into force during the night between Monday and Tuesday. This was stated by the Russian Commissioner for Human Rights, Yana Lantratova, as quoted by news agencies in Moscow. “No incidents have been recorded during the more than 30 hours of the ceasefire,” Lantratova emphasised. Yesterday, the pro-Russian governor of the part of the Kherson region under the control of Moscow’s forces, Vladimir Saldo, had said that the access roads to the town – where it is estimated that around 2,000 civilians remain – were being cleared of mines and that residents who wished to do so would be evacuated via Russia. He added that anyone wishing to do so could reach Ukraine. The humanitarian operation, Saldo added, is scheduled to begin tomorrow, 29 October.

“Let’s not forget about Russia. I believe that, as far as Russia and Ukraine are concerned, significant progress is being made. A meeting will be organised shortly and I think a great deal of progress will be made. A meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky.” This was stated by US President Donald Trump whilst speaking to reporters at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland in the midst of the mid-term election campaign.

Russia will counter attempts by the “war party” in European capitals to derail the forthcoming negotiations in Abu Dhabi aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine, which are backed by the United States. This was stated by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

“This creates false hopes in Kyiv, leading to a prolongation of the conflict. We have seen this happen before,” added the deputy minister.

Quest’anno l’Ucraina riceve in media solo 12 missili al mese per i sistemi Patriot. Lo ha dichiarato in una conferenza stampa il presidente Volodymyr Zelensky, precisando che “il programma Purl comprende molte cose diverse: proiettili da 20 millimetri per l’F-16, Himars, nonché Patriot e Aim. Acquistiamo molto dagli Stati Uniti. L’Europa ha pagato, tutto è arrivato e tutto è andato bene. Ma in alcuni casi, soprattutto con i Patriot, è una grande sfida. Dodici missili al mese, in media: questo è quello che avremo ricevuto nel 2026”.