Russian strikes pound Kyiv as Moscow signals readiness for peace talks

Witkoff meets Putin in Saint Petersburg; Trump describes 'closest we've been' to ending the war, but Kremlin questions substance of Ukrainian proposals

By LineZotpaper

Published22 October 2026

Updated22 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Russian missiles struck Kyiv overnight into Thursday, wounding six people, hours after Moscow signalled it was willing to resume trilateral peace talks with Ukraine and the United States. US President Donald Trump hailed envoy Steve Witkoff's latest meeting with Vladimir Putin as the closest breakthrough yet, but the Kremlin warned that Ukrainian and European peace plans lacked 'substance' as fighting continued.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko posted on social media that overnight missile strikes had wounded six people in the capital, four of whom required hospitalisation. Ukraine's Air Force issued urgent warnings of more ballistic missiles heading for the city, instructing residents to stay in shelters. Russian authorities separately said they had intercepted over 160 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow overnight.

The bombardment followed a three-hour meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday. Witkoff had travelled to Russia from a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo, aimed at smoothing over a bitter rift between Trump and the Ukrainian leader. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner also took part in the Putin talks remotely.

Trump described the discussions as 'the closest we've been' to ending the war since he returned to office in January 2025. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Moscow was 'in principle, ready to resume' trilateral talks with the US and Ukraine in mid-November. However, he added that 'there wasn't really much substance in them', referring to the European and Ukrainian proposals Witkoff had delivered.

During the meeting, Witkoff praised Putin as a 'humanitarian' for releasing US citizen Stephen Hubbard at Trump's request. Trump defended his decision to delay imposing sanctions on Russia, saying the move had secured Hubbard's freedom. 'If you would've put those sanctions on... you could forget about him. You'd never see him again,' Trump said. A US-Russia diesel deal, which Witkoff said Washington was 'grateful' for, has further complicated the picture, sparking outrage in Kyiv and Europe where it is seen as undermining pressure on Moscow.

Despite the diplomatic overtures, the ground war has not let up. Ukrainian officials reported four people killed on Wednesday, including an elderly couple in the eastern Kharkiv region. In occupied Luhansk, Russian-installed authorities said a Ukrainian drone strike on a phone company had killed two people. Zelensky confirmed Kyiv's support for resuming talks, but relations with Washington remain strained. A planned summit between Putin, Trump, and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Shenzhen next month looms as a potential major shift in the conflict's diplomatic landscape.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The simultaneous pursuit of peace talks and continuation of heavy missile strikes underscores how both sides are seeking maximum advantage before any potential ceasefire or negotiation.
Trump's transactional foreign policy (exchanging sanctions relief for prisoner releases and diesel deals) is fundamentally reshaping the Western alliance on Ukraine, creating deep unease in Kyiv and European capitals.
The upcoming US midterm elections heavily influence Trump's timeline, limiting his appetite for politically costly compromises while pushing him to deliver visible wins.

Background

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Donald Trump returned to the US presidency in January 2025 on a platform of ending the war quickly, famously promising a 24-hour resolution. Steve Witkoff has since served as his primary envoy, shuttling between Moscow, Kyiv, and European capitals. Despite over a year of US-led diplomacy, a ceasefire has remained elusive, and relations between Washington and Kyiv have soured as Trump pushes for territorial concessions. The approach of winter has historically intensified fighting, particularly targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

Key Perspectives

Russia: Views the United States as the necessary interlocutor for any settlement. Willing to resume trilateral talks but dismisses current Ukrainian and European proposals as lacking 'substance'. Actively working to establish a multipolar summit dynamic with the US and China. Ukraine: Desperately needs negotiations to secure continued military aid and security guarantees, but faces immense pressure to cede territory. Resents being marginalised in direct US-Russia talks. The Trump Administration: Prioritises achieving any deal and normalising relations with Moscow. Views tangible wins (prisoner releases, lower diesel prices) as essential for the domestic political narrative ahead of midterms. European Allies / Critics: Fear a US-brokered settlement that freezes the conflict on Russia's terms. Alarmed by the rehabilitation of Putin's image and the weakening of the sanctions regime.

What to Watch

The proposed summit between Putin, Trump, and Xi Jinping in Shenzhen, which could fundamentally reshape the conflict's diplomatic framework.
Whether mid-November trilateral talks proceed and if they are preceded by any de-escalation in fighting.
The fate of US sanctions and military aid packages to Ukraine, which remain contentious in Washington.

Sources

Russian missiles hit Kyiv as Moscow signals readiness for peace talks · France 24 Europe

Checked

10 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 4 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedRussian strikes pounded Kyiv overnight into Thursday.France 24 Europe: “Missiles struck Kyiv throughout the night, authorities said early on Thursday”
SupportedMoscow signalled it was willing to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States.France 24 Europe: “shortly after Russia signaled it was ready to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States.”
SupportedThe strikes wounded six people in Kyiv, four of whom needed hospitalisation.France 24 Europe: “missile strikes had wounded six people in the capital, four of whom needed hospitalisation.”
Partly supportedThe Kyiv strikes came hours after Moscow signalled readiness for talks.France 24 Europe: “shortly after Russia signaled it was ready to resume trilateral talks”
Partly supportedTrump described the discussions as the closest breakthrough yet in ending the war.France 24 Europe: “US President Donald Trump said after his envoy Steve Witkoff's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that it was “the closest we've been” to ending the war.”
SupportedThe Kremlin said Ukrainian and European peace proposals lacked substance.France 24 Europe: ““there wasn't really much substance in them””
Not in the sourcesThe diesel deal was seen as undermining pressure on Moscow.France 24 Europe: “The deal has been seen as a way to try to lower fuel prices for American consumers ahead of the US midterms”
Partly supportedTrump said delaying sanctions had secured Hubbard’s freedom.France 24 Europe: “a decision he defended on Wednesday as necessary to secure Hubbard's release.”
Partly supportedUkrainian officials reported four people killed on Wednesday.France 24 Europe: “Kyiv said Russian attacks killed at least four people on Wednesday”
Not in the sourcesThe proposed Putin-Trump-Xi summit could be a major shift in the conflict’s diplomatic landscape.France 24 Europe: “A summit between Putin, Trump and China's Xi Jinping was also being prepared in China's Shenzhen for next month”

Corrections

22 October 2026An earlier version of this story expanded contractions in direct quotations from Donald Trump and Yuri Ushakov. The quotations have been corrected to match the source wording.

22 October 2026An earlier version of this story said the meeting between Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin lasted four hours. It lasted three hours.