Person
Volodymyr Zelensky
- Follow-up: Finland's Stubb and Norway's Store hold rare call with Putin on Ukraine peace, report wide differences
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store held a joint call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, Oct 27, on efforts to end the war in Ukraine, a rare direct contact between European leaders and Putin. Stubb described the call as 'frank and substantive', while Store said there were 'major differences in views'. The two said they spoke as Russia's neighbours, not on behalf of Europe as a whole. Stubb said the idea came from talks in Oslo on Oct 20 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US envoy Steve Witkoff and was coordinated beforehand with Ukraine and the United States; Ukraine's foreign minister confirmed the coordination and said Kyiv is ready to accept a partial or full ceasefire.
Oct 28, 2026 Morning - Follow-up: Zelensky confirms US-mediated talks with Russia in November, says territory must be discussed by leaders
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Kyiv and Moscow will hold talks in November with US mediation, stressing that territorial issues must be discussed directly at leaders' level while other matters can go to technical groups. The Kremlin had said the three-way contacts were planned for the Gulf region. After US envoy Steve Witkoff met Zelensky and Vladimir Putin in recent days, both sides signalled willingness to resume direct talks; the agenda, level of attendance and whether a ceasefire is included have not been announced.
Oct 26, 2026 Afternoon - Follow-up: Zelensky says Ukraine-Russia-US three-way talks will be held in November; Kremlin says venue is in the Gulf
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a television interview on Sunday, Oct 25, that Kyiv, Washington and Moscow will hold three-way talks in November to restart stalled peace negotiations, saying territorial issues should be handled at leaders' level and other matters by technical groups. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Oct 23 that the talks were planned for November in the Gulf region. US envoy Steve Witkoff met Zelensky and European leaders in Oslo on Oct 20 and Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Oct 21, after which both Kyiv and Moscow said they were willing to resume direct talks with US mediation.
Oct 26, 2026 Morning - Follow-up: Trump says Musk has restored Ukraine's Starlink access; Zelensky says military Starshield speeds not fully back
US President Trump said on Oct 22 that Elon Musk had restored Ukraine's Starlink access, declining to comment on a Wall Street Journal report that he had phoned Musk to ask for a slowdown to be lifted. Ukrainian President Zelensky said earlier the same day that military-grade Starshield connectivity had not yet fully recovered and that he was waiting for Secretary of State Rubio to reply within about 48 hours. The White House had denied ordering SpaceX to restrict access, and Musk said last week that Starshield is ultimately controlled by the US government.
Oct 23, 2026 Afternoon - Follow-up: After Putin meets Witkoff, Kremlin agrees in principle to resume US-Russia-Ukraine talks next month; American Stephen Hubbard freed
US envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday, Oct 21. BBC reported that Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said afterwards Russia was 'in principle ready' to resume talks with the US and Ukraine, possibly next month; Zelensky then said he hoped they would be held as soon as possible. The three-way talks have been suspended since February; Witkoff met Zelensky and the leaders of Norway and Finland in Oslo on Monday. AP reported that Russia the same day freed American Stephen Hubbard, held for more than four years on 'mercenary' charges; Trump wrote on Truth Social that he requested the release in a call with Putin last week and that the US did not have to exchange anyone.
Oct 22, 2026 Morning - Follow-up: Trump says US got 'nothing' from Ukraine but high-priced diesel; Witkoff to meet Putin in St Petersburg
Associated Press reported that on Oct 20 Trump said the United States had gotten 'nothing' from Ukraine except 'high-priced diesel' and that it was 'time' for Ukraine to reach a deal with Russia. Al Jazeera reported Trump told the White House that day: 'Zelensky has to want to end this war, and if he doesn't, I think it's going to be a very bad thing.' US envoy Steve Witkoff was due to meet Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday to discuss a proposal after talks with Zelensky in Oslo the day before; Finland's President Alexander Stubb, who took part in Oslo, said the plan had made 'real progress'.
Oct 21, 2026 Afternoon - Zelensky says US missile-warning intelligence 'works now' after Oslo talks; Witkoff and Kushner to meet Putin in St Petersburg
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after meeting US envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo on Oct 20 that US early-warning intelligence on Russian ballistic missile strikes 'works now'; US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had earlier called Ukrainian claims that the US was withholding intelligence 'disgraceful'. Norway's prime minister, Finland's president and EU and UK security officials attended, Jared Kushner joined by video because of flu, and Finland's president said the peace plan had made 'real progress' without giving details. The New York Times reported that Witkoff and Kushner plan to meet Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Oct 21 and seek the release of a 72-year-old American serving six years and 10 months; Russia's foreign minister said Moscow would make 'no political concessions'.
Oct 21, 2026 Morning - South Korea withdraws some embassy staff from Kyiv in row over disclosure of North Korean POW transfer
South Korea's foreign ministry said on Tuesday it is withdrawing some diplomats from its embassy in Ukraine, citing no 'constructive steps' from Kyiv since Seoul recalled its ambassador and the continuing threat of air strikes across Ukraine. The row began when President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed last month that Ukraine had handed North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, which Seoul says broke a confidentiality agreement and endangers the prisoners' families in the North; South Korea's president has demanded a formal apology. Seoul will keep communication through a chargé d'affaires and retain consular staff, while Ukraine said 'diplomacy must prevail over emotions' and that the matter is 'resolved'.
Oct 21, 2026 Morning - Zelensky adviser says US ballistic-missile warnings still unstable; some died without time to shelter
Serhii 'Flash' Beskrestnov, a Zelensky adviser and communications expert, told the BBC that US warnings of incoming Russian ballistic missiles remain incomplete and unstable, sometimes arriving only a minute before a strike, and that people have already died for lack of time to take shelter; the White House said intelligence sharing with Ukraine had not changed. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday Kyiv faced two overnight ballistic attacks, one with no warning and one with minimal shelter time, after telling NBC sharing had resumed following a three-day pause. Beskrestnov said the problem was mainly the air-raid alert channel while other intelligence still flowed; the military also reported SpaceX Starshield speed limits disrupting drones and mobile communications.
Oct 20, 2026 Afternoon - Russian drone hits park in Kharkiv region's Nova Vodolaha, killing 6 including two girls
Ukraine's interior minister said a Russian drone struck the central park of Nova Vodolaha in Kharkiv region, killing six people: a man, three women and two girls. Kharkiv regional military administration head Oleh Syniehubov said the girls were 11 and just over one year old, and 15 people were injured, seven of them children. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the little girl was named Angelina, her mother Inna was also killed, and the park was hit by a Shahed drone.
Oct 20, 2026 Morning - Follow-up: Trump says 'somebody else' should negotiate for Ukraine, open to meeting Putin and Xi
Before leaving the White House for a campaign stop in Kansas on Oct 19, US President Donald Trump told reporters Zelensky was 'not very helpful', that it was time for 'somebody else' to negotiate for Ukraine, and that Zelensky could have got a better deal and 'saved a million people' had he listened. Asked about the reported US–Russia–China meeting proposed by Putin, Trump said he would meet Putin and Xi Jinping to discuss ending the war 'whether somebody is there or not', after first saying he would rather discuss denuclearization; the Wall Street Journal reported Putin raised the idea in an Oct 9 call and it could take place at the Nov 18–19 APEC summit in Shenzhen. TASS, citing Reuters, reported envoys Witkoff and Kushner will hold talks on Ukraine in Norway.
Oct 20, 2026 Morning - Follow-up: Trump says Russia sanctions pause keeps talks alive; Zelensky says US is pushing Ukraine to 'capitulate'
US President Donald Trump announced late Friday a pause of multiple Russia sanctions that were due to take effect in two days; Congress had passed them and he signed them into law in September. On Oct 18 on Truth Social he said he was negotiating an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, did not want to 'stupidly' push Russia from the table, and claimed Zelensky 'doesn't want' the war to end. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a 60-day pause to assess economic impact; Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev called it a 'truly historic moment'. Zelensky told NBC that siding with Putin would be a 'historic mistake'; the Japan Times reported he said Trump was pressuring Ukraine to capitulate and that a proposal to stop striking Russian diesel facilities in exchange for more Patriot missiles met a US reply that only wanted Ukraine to stop hitting diesel.
Oct 19, 2026 Afternoon - Zelensky thanks US for restoring intelligence sharing; Bessent calls his Starlink claims 'reckless'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told NBC's Meet the Press on Oct 18 that the US had restored intelligence sharing on incoming Russian ballistic missiles, saying Ukraine went three days without warnings during ballistic missile strikes. He maintained that the US deliberately throttled Starlink, while US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the accusation was 'very reckless' and warned him to 'be careful'. Zelensky also spoke with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and said Russia had violated the 'energy ceasefire' 76 times.
Oct 19, 2026 Morning