Kyiv Sets November Date for Three-Way Peace Summit

A three-way meeting between Kyiv, Washington, and Moscow will take place in November to restart stalled peace negotiations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday. The summit aims to resolve deadlocks that have prevented progress in previous diplomatic efforts. Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is prepared to engage in discussions immediately.

The Ukrainian president specified that territorial issues must be handled by leadership, while technical groups will address other matters. He reiterated his request for a direct meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy believes Putin is the only official in Russia capable of making the major decisions required to end the war.

Ukraine will not negotiate limits on its armed forces or accept enforced postwar neutrality during the November talks. This stance aligns with Kyiv's long-standing goal of joining NATO, a move that has faced hesitation from some member states.

The US has restored full access to critical air defense systems after earlier warnings of imminent Russian ballistic missile strikes. Zelenskyy reported that SpaceX's Starshield satellite internet had been operating at speeds up to 420 km/h since early Saturday. This service was throttled in early October under diplomatic pressure from Washington.

The restoration follows a meeting between Zelenskyy and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo. The US has pressured Ukraine to suspend strikes on Russian oil refineries, arguing that these attacks drive up global energy prices. Zelenskyy said Kyiv will stop the strikes only if Russia halts attacks on Ukrainian power infrastructure, if the US allows Starshield use over Russia to detect missile launches, or if it supplies Patriot missiles.

Zelenskyy reported that Russia launched nearly 2,300 drones at Ukrainian cities over the past week. He called on western allies to accelerate deliveries of interceptors. In an online post, the president detailed that Russian forces launched about 1,600 guided bombs, 48 missiles of various types, and almost 2,300 strike drones during that period.

Russian Defense Ministry officials said their drones hit a cargo vessel bound for the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk during an overnight attack. They also struck another cargo vessel en route to the port of Odesa during the day. The ministry stated the vessels were supplying the Ukrainian army. Russian forces also targeted a logistics center, a distribution center, and a logistics terminal in Kharkiv overnight. Reuters could not independently confirm these reports.

A Ukrainian drone strike on the Russian border city of Belgorod killed three people and injured 13, local authorities reported. A separate strike later that day killed one additional person. Regional Governor Alexander Shuvayev said the overnight attack damaged 30 apartment buildings in the city.

Bulgaria held its presidential election on Sunday, resulting in an inconclusive first round. The next head of state will be determined in a runoff between incumbent leftist President Iliana Yotova and pro-western reformist candidate Andrey Gyurov. Yotova favors dialogue with Russia and opposes military aid to Ukraine, while Gyurov supports Kyiv. The vote occurred amid security concerns following recent drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea.