Zelenskyy Sets November Date for Three-Way Ukraine Peace Summit

Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday that a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia will take place in November. The summit aims to restart peace negotiations that have been stalled. The Ukrainian president stated that Kyiv is prepared to discuss the conflict at a leadership level, specifically regarding territorial issues. He noted that other technical matters will remain the responsibility of working groups.

Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine will not agree to limits on its armed forces or to enforced postwar neutrality during these talks. The country has long sought membership in NATO, a goal complicated by the hesitation of certain member states. The president also renewed his call for a direct meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy argued that Putin is the only individual in Russia with the authority to make major decisions to end the war.

The timing of the announcement coincides with a surge in Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. Zelenskyy reported that Russia launched nearly 2,300 strike drones at Ukrainian cities over the past week. He detailed the attack figures in an online post, listing approximately 1,600 guided bombs and 48 missiles of various types, including ballistic missiles. The Ukrainian president urged Western allies to accelerate the delivery of interceptors to help defend against these strikes.

US warnings about imminent Russian ballistic missile strikes have been fully restored, according to Zelenskyy. He told TSN television that SpaceX’s Starshield satellite internet service resumed full operation early Saturday. The system had been throttled earlier in the month due to diplomatic pressure from Washington. The service is now operating at speeds of up to 420 km/h, following a meeting between Zelenskyy and US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo.

Washington has attempted to pressure Kyiv to pause strikes on Russian oil refineries, arguing that these attacks drive up global energy prices. Zelenskyy maintained that Ukraine will only cease these operations if Moscow stops targeting Ukraine’s power infrastructure. He also outlined two other conditions: the US allowing Ukraine to use Starshield over Russia to detect ballistic missile launch sites, or the US supplying Ukraine with Patriot missiles.

Russia’s defense ministry reported that its drones struck a cargo vessel bound for the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk during an overnight attack. A second vessel en route to the port of Odesa was hit during the day. The ministry stated that both ships were supplying the Ukrainian army. Russian forces also targeted a logistics center, a distribution center, and a logistics terminal in the city of Kharkiv. Reuters was unable to independently confirm these reports.

A Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian border city of Belgorod killed three people and injured 13, local authorities said. A separate strike later on Sunday killed one additional person. Regional Governor Alexander Shuvayev said the overnight attack damaged 30 apartment buildings. The vote in Bulgaria for president also concluded on Sunday, ending without a clear winner. A runoff will determine the next head of state, with Andrey Gyurov facing incumbent Iliana Yotova.