Zelenskyy believes Russia "has not changed its position" following new strikes on Ukraine

Sirens wailed overnight Wednesday and into Thursday in Kyiv, where two people were killed and more than 30 others injured, city authorities said.

Two women, aged 50 and 60, were killed and dozens injured in an attack targeting a crowded market in the eastern city of Lozova. Meanwhile in Russia, two people were injured in the Moscow region after Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack.

These strikes came after the Kremlin announced Moscow's readiness to resume trilateral negotiations with Kyiv and Washington next month, while ruling out new ideas put forward by Witkoff in cooperation with European nations and Ukraine.

The attacks on the night between Wednesday and Thursday hit 12 Ukrainian regions, damaging residential homes, energy facilities, shops, cafes, and a monastery in Kyiv, as Russia intensifies its strikes with the approach of winter.

Families with children were also ordered to evacuate the Kramatorsk and neighboring Sloviansk regions, located on the frontline in the east, following attacks that claimed the lives of dozens of civilians.

Zelenskyy noted that the attack began "almost immediately" after Witkoff and Putin's talks in St. Petersburg, mocking the US envoy's description of the Russian president as a "humanitarian man."

He added, "This means there has been no real change in their position toward everything that is happening."

Ahead of the St. Petersburg meeting, a meeting was held on Tuesday in Oslo involving Witkoff, European leaders, and Zelenskyy, who called for a cessation of fighting at the current contact lines as a first step toward negotiations.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Witkoff held a "detailed and frank" meeting with Putin that lasted about three hours.

Signaling that the positions of both sides remain far apart, Ushakov said the US envoy "spoke about some new aspects in the approach of Europeans and Kyiv, but in reality they lack substance."

- Bolder -

Ukraine is demanding its allies, including the United States, provide it with US-made Patriot interceptor systems to counter fast-moving ballistic missiles and attack drones.

Zelenskyy warned of further strikes, pointing out that Moscow, emboldened after the easing of sanctions pressure, "is clearly exploiting the slowdown in air defense system supplies by our partners," in a clear reference to Washington.

In Brussels, NATO announced it will authorize Ukraine to purchase weapons through its procurement agency "on a case-by-case basis."

Trump expressed optimism as his envoy returned from Russia, saying on Wednesday that negotiators may now be "closer than ever" to ending the war.

However, in Kyiv and European capitals, hopes for a breakthrough are fading amid fears among many that the White House is siding with Moscow.

Zelenskyy accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians in Kyiv, particularly by using cluster munitions that scatter in the air to indiscriminately spread dozens of small explosive bomblets over a wide area.

Human Rights Watch reported in August a notable increase in the use of these weapons, noting that it could amount to a war crime.

- Talks -

Zelenskyy met Witkoff in Norway on Tuesday at a time when relations between Kyiv and Washington have reached their lowest levels since Trump publicly rebuked Zelenskyy in the Oval Office in February 2025.

In recent days, Trump suspended new sanctions on Russia, struck a deal to buy Russian diesel, and called for Zelenskyy to step down.

Zelenskyy supported holding a trilateral meeting after several rounds of talks over the past 18 months, all of which failed to bridge the gap between the two sides.

Russia demands that Ukraine withdraw from the territories it still controls in the eastern Donetsk region, and imposes broad political and military restrictions on the size of the Ukrainian army and its relations with Western alliances.

Ukraine rejects these demands, considering them tantamount to surrender that would leave it vulnerable to a new attack.

Moscow stated that a summit in China is being prepared for next month bringing together Trump, Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, raising concerns among Europeans and Ukraine that a deal could be reached without their involvement.

For his part, Witkoff said that the talks with Putin were "constructive and will continue with trilateral talks between the US, Russia, and Ukraine at the technical level," adding, "Important work remains to be done."

Putin has long refused direct talks with Zelenskyy, emphasizing Moscow's determination to control the remainder of eastern Ukraine, whether through an agreement or on the battlefield.