Russian and Ukrainian forces exchanged overnight strikes that killed seven people in Ukraine, just hours after US envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg aimed at advancing efforts to end the war.
Donald Trump struck an optimistic note after the meeting, saying negotiators were “maybe now the closest we’ve been” to ending the conflict. The Kremlin said it was “in principle” prepared to resume three-way discussions involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
But the diplomatic overtures were followed by fresh attacks across both countries.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said two people were wounded after 630 drones were directed towards the region, including 163 approaching the Russian capital. A further man was injured in the Lipetsk region, where Russian air defences reportedly destroyed 70 drones.
In Ukraine, one man was killed in Sumy and a woman died in Kharkiv, both in the north-east. Three people were killed in Zaporizhzhia in the south-east and two others in the eastern Donetsk region.
Fifteen people were wounded in Kyiv, where strikes also damaged metro infrastructure at the Pivdenny Bridge and restricted traffic between parts of the city.
Ukraine’s air force warned residents of “more ballistic missiles towards Kyiv” during the early hours and urged them to remain in shelters.
Witkoff travelled to Russia after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo on Tuesday, in talks intended to ease tensions between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader. Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner also joined the discussions with Mr Putin remotely.
The three-hour meeting was described by Witkoff as “constructive”, although he said “there is still important work left to do”. He added that further discussions would continue between the US, Ukraine and Russia at a technical level.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Russia was “in principle, ready to resume” trilateral negotiations in mid-November, after the US midterm elections. He said Moscow wanted the discussions to concentrate on security arrangements after the war.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine also supported restarting the three-way talks. Mr Ushakov said Witkoff had briefed Mr Putin on “some new aspects in the approaches of the Europeans and Kyiv” following the Oslo meeting, but added that there had been “not really much substance in them”.
Mr Ushakov also said preparations were under way for a summit involving Mr Putin, Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Shenzhen next month, describing it as “the first such meeting in history”.
During his meeting with Mr Putin, Witkoff praised the Russian president for agreeing to release Stephen Hubbard, an American in his seventies who had been detained after fighting for Ukraine. Mr Hubbard has denied the charges against him.
“You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian – you are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that,” Witkoff told Mr Putin.
The remark prompted criticism from commentators on both sides of the US political divide. Fox News analyst Guy Benson responded “Come ON”, while Piers Morgan posted a vomiting emoji. Washington Post columnist Max Boot described the exchange as “nauseating and embarrassing”, and CNN analyst Josh Rogin responded: “WTAF”.
Witkoff also thanked Mr Putin for removing export controls on Russian diesel and allowing it to be sold to the United States and other countries, saying the decision would help farmers, truckers and people affected by the diesel crisis.
He told the Russian leader he had brought “some ideas, some sort of peace deal between Russia and Ukraine”, which Mr Putin could read “at your leisure”.
Mr Trump returned to office in January 2025 promising to end the war within 24 hours, but more than a year of US-led negotiations has failed to deliver a breakthrough. He has delayed sanctions on Russia, saying tougher measures could have prevented Mr Hubbard’s release.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has killed tens of thousands of people since February 2022. Mr Putin has repeatedly rejected face-to-face talks with Mr Zelensky and said Moscow intends to capture the remainder of eastern Ukraine.
