Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
A fresh diplomatic push to restart negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the United States has collided with another night of heavy attacks, underscoring how far the parties remain from a ceasefire.
Russia launched three waves of ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight into Thursday, October 22, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The strikes hit residential buildings, energy facilities, transport infrastructure, businesses and a monastery. Ukrainian officials said at least two people were killed and 34 injured in Kyiv and surrounding areas. In the northeastern Kharkiv region, a separate strike on a market killed at least two people and injured 17, local officials reported.
The assault came hours after U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. Witkoff described the discussions as constructive and said technical-level talks involving the United States, Russia and Ukraine would continue. Putin’s foreign-policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, indicated that a further round could take place after November 10, potentially in Abu Dhabi. But he also dismissed the ideas under discussion as insufficiently useful, while stressing that Moscow wants negotiations to address a postwar security system.
The attacks continued alongside a major Ukrainian drone operation against Russia. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said the Russian capital had been targeted by at least 630 Ukrainian drones, one of the largest reported attacks of the war. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had intercepted at least 808 drones across multiple regions, occupied Crimea and the Black Sea. The figures were issued by Russian authorities and could not be independently verified. Russian officials reported damage to buildings and injuries, while temporary flight restrictions were imposed at Moscow’s four international airports and at several other airports.
The scale of the strikes offered a stark contrast to the diplomatic language emerging from the talks. Zelenskyy has said he is prepared to freeze the conflict along the current front line as an immediate step toward ending the fighting. In an interview with Fox News, he framed a halt to combat as a minimum requirement, with security guarantees for Ukraine to be addressed in subsequent discussions.
Such a proposal would stop the front line from shifting while leaving the territorial dispute unresolved. Ukraine would retain control of areas it currently holds, while Russia would continue to occupy territory it has seized. Kyiv’s position reflects the risk that continued fighting could weaken its negotiating hand, particularly as Russia intensifies attacks on energy infrastructure ahead of winter. Strikes on October 16 reportedly left more than a million people temporarily without power.
Moscow, however, has repeatedly rejected a temporary ceasefire that would allow Ukraine to strengthen its forces. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has argued that a pause could give Ukrainian troops time to rearm. The Kremlin has also maintained demands that Ukraine abandon its ambition to join NATO and accept restrictions on its military.
A reported U.S. proposal would have Ukraine give up the entire Donbas region in return for NATO security guarantees even though Russian forces have not captured all of it. The prospect of surrendering territory remains politically and strategically contentious in Kyiv and among Ukraine’s partners. It would also raise questions about the credibility and duration of any guarantees, and whether a settlement could prevent another round of fighting.
Ushakov’s criticism of the latest U.S. proposals, which were developed after meetings in Oslo with Zelenskyy and European leaders, points to a fundamental obstacle: Moscow appears willing to return to talks without signaling that it will abandon its principal demands. The Russian government has also portrayed its forces as holding the initiative on the battlefield, a claim Ukraine and its European allies dispute.
Ukraine’s military position is only one source of pressure. The country faces a mounting financial challenge as it tries to sustain its armed forces, keep public services running and repair damaged infrastructure. At a Brussels summit earlier this month, Zelenskyy told European leaders that Ukraine would need €155 billion for military and economic needs in 2027, including an additional €70 billion in assistance.
The European Union approved a €90 billion loan last December to cover much of Ukraine’s needs through 2027, based on the expectation that the war could end in 2026. With that assumption increasingly uncertain, European leaders have asked the European Commission to develop additional financing options. Brussels is reportedly seeking help from the United Kingdom and Canada, while officials are also looking to Japan, Australia and other partners. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned that existing commitments are not enough.
The gap between Ukraine’s needs and available funding could shape its choices at the negotiating table. So could the state of its electricity grid, its ability to defend cities from missiles and drones, and the willingness of allies to sustain long-term support. For Russia, continued strikes may be intended to impose costs on Ukraine and test the cohesion of its partners while talks proceed.
A ceasefire could still emerge from the new diplomatic effort, but the latest exchanges offer little evidence that either side is ready to make the concessions needed for a durable settlement. Zelenskyy’s readiness to freeze the front line is an opening; it is not an agreement. Moscow’s willingness to talk is likewise not a sign that it will accept Kyiv’s terms. Until the competing demands over territory, military limits and security guarantees are reconciled, negotiations are likely to proceed alongside continued fighting.
