Donald Trump’s special envoy told Vladimir Putin he was a “humanitarian” as they met in St Petersburg to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine, hours after Russian drones killed two elderly residents and injured children in Kharkiv.
“You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian,” envoy Steve Witkoff told the Russian president on Wednesday. “You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that, I commend you, and I thank you again.”
The remarks came as Witkoff arrived in Russia’s second city to review new ideas to end the conflict, just days after president Trump signed a controversial energy deal with Putin and forced open a rift with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
Putin said on Wednesday he was willing in principle to resume talks with Ukraine and the US next month, but would want to focus on security guarantees for Russia after the conflict ends, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
Despite overtures towards a ceasefire, Russian forces overnight into Wednesday attacked the village of Korotych in Kharkiv Oblast with drones, killing two elderly residents and injuring 11 people, including two children, according to local authorities.
Read MorePutin says Russia has freed US citizen, 74, jailed since 2022
Elon Musk reportedly ordered slowing down of Starlink access for Ukrainian army
Trump has finally abandoned the West for Putin. This is what the UK and Europe must do next
Key Points
- Trump hails Putin for releasing US citizen Stephen Hubbard
- Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff arrives in St Petersburg for talks with Putin
- Trump's envoy says he hopes to restart three-way talks with Russia and Ukraine
- Zelensky says he had 'constructive dialogue' with the US
- Elon Musk ordered slowdown of Starlink in Ukraine, report says
Russia is willing in principle to join new Ukraine peace talks in November, Kremlin says
15:30 , James ReynoldsRussian President Vladimir Putin told US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday that Moscow is willing in principle to resume talks next month with Ukraine and the US on ending the war in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
No such talks have taken place since February.
Ushakov said the negotiations should focus on security guarantees for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends.
Ukrainian soldier ‘cut off own leg’ to survive on frontline before miracle drone rescue
14:43 , James ReynoldsThe injured soldier airlifted from Ukraine’s frontline by drone cut off his own frostbitten leg in a desperate bid to survive, having spent more than a year alone in the kill zone before his dramatic rescue, according to reports.
Kostiantyn Vlasenko, 49, made history as the first person to be evacuated from a war-zone with a flying drone, as Russian UAVs and landmines made a conventional rescue impossible.
The rescue mission this month was the product of more than six months of preparation, coordinating helicopters, electronic warfare and artillery with the drone team on the ground, according to Ukrainian outlet Oboronka.
“The flight was calm, I mostly looked around the area,” the soldier told the outlet after his heroic rescue. “And when I landed, I felt safe and relieved - I would finally see my family soon. A special thank you to my clerk with the call sign ‘Lefty’ for spoiling me with goodies.”
The volunteer fighter from Kryvyi Rih, who was serving with Ukraine’s 30th Mechanised Brigade last summer, had reportedly spent 70 weeks stranded in Kharkiv oblast, reliant on airdrops of food, cigarettes and a Stephen King novel, until his evacuation on October 4.
Watch: Trump says Ukraine has to want to settle war
14:00 , Daniel KeaneZelensky says he supports ceasefire and trilateral talks with US and Russia
13:30 , Daniel KeaneUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he supports talks between the leaders of Kyiv, Washington and Moscow.
Speaking to FOX News, he said that he hoped that Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff would have positive talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
He said it was important to have a freeze in the fighting and move to diplomacy and toward an agreement that includes security guarantees, praising Trump's call for ceasefires.
"It's important to negotiate trilaterally" with him, US President Donald Trump and Putin, he added.
Kremlin says journalists from 'unfriendly' countries to be allowed to attend Putin's annual presser
13:00 , Shweta SharmaJournalists from countries Russia considers “unfriendly” will be allowed to attend president Vladimir Putin’s annual year-end press conference in December, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
“They will attend. Yes, [we will invite them] – as we always do,” Peskov told Russian state news agency TASS when asked whether media outlets from countries deemed unfriendly by Moscow would be invited.
The annual press conference will once again be combined with Putin’s “Direct Line” call-in show, during which he answers questions from Russian citizens.
The combined event, known as “Direct Line with Vladimir Putin: Year in Review”, will be held for the fifth time this year. The format was first introduced in 2020 during the Covid pandemic and revived in 2023.
Russia designates countries including the US, UK and EU member states as “unfriendly”, largely in response to sanctions imposed on Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine.
The exact date for the press conference has not been announced yet,
South Korea to recall some of its diplomats from Kyiv
12:00 , Shweta SharmaSouth Korea will withdraw some of its diplomatic personnel from Ukraine amid worsening relations between Seoul and Kyiv over the disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs), Yonhap news agency reported, citing Seoul’s foreign ministry.
“This measure was taken because we judged it necessary to facilitate an amicable resolution of the issue and restore trust between the two countries,” foreign ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said, according to Yonhap.
The move follows South Korea’s decision to recall its ambassador to Ukraine on 8 October after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky publicly disclosed the transfer of the two prisoners to South Korea during his speech at the UN General Assembly on 23 September.
Seoul claims the announcement violated a confidentiality agreement between the two countries.
Trump hails Putin for releasing US citizen Stephen Hubbard
11:53 , Adam WithnallDonald Trump has posted on Truth Social to celebrate Vladimir Putin’s decision to release Stephen Hubbard, a US citizen who was formally designated as wrongfully detained in Russia for four years.
“Stephen is on his way back home and will soon be with his family. The United States, out of respect for President Trump, was not required to give anything in return – an unprecedented situation for Russia,” the post read.
Hubbard’s release comes after a number of US concessions towards Russia in recent weeks, including a deal signed by Trump to obtain diesel from Moscow.
Nonetheless, Trump claimed that “there was no ‘swap’ necessary for this release”.
“Welcome home Stephen, it’s great to have you back,” the statement quoted Trump as saying.
Trump's envoy says he hopes to restart three-way talks with Russia and Ukraine
11:39 , Adam WithnallIn televised remarks at the beginning of his meeting with Vladimir Putin, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said his goal was to discuss the resumption of trilateral talks involving the US, Russia and Ukraine.
He said a resumption of talks would allow technical teams to discuss the next steps toward a peace settlement.
Witkoff and Putin met at St Petersburg’s Constantine Palace, with Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov also at the table. Witkoff said Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner would join the discussion via a video link.
Witkoff said he would inform Putin about Tuesday’s talks in Oslo, which he described as “productive,” adding that “there is some degree of momentum.”
He thanked Putin for lifting Russia’s ban on diesel exports, which angered some US lawmakers, adding that it would help reduce prices for US farmers and truckers.
Putin thanked Trump and Witkoff for their efforts to end the war and said he was ready to discuss restoring US-Russian economic ties.
Putin was also due to meet later on Wednesday with Chinese premier Li Qiang, who is in St Petersburg meeting with other Russian top officials, the Kremlin said.
‘I lay in a pool of blood after being shot at point blank range while undercover in Northern Ireland’
11:30 , Shweta SharmaA former member of one of the British Army’s most secret surveillance units has, for the first time, told the dramatic story of his role in an undercover operation that ended with him being shot through the stomach, his partner mortally wounded, and a wanted IRA gunman fleeing injured into the night.
The veteran, known only as Blue*, recounted how events unfolded in episode five of SAS: The Shadow War.
He was just 22 and serving with 14 Intelligence Company – the clandestine unit known simply as “the Det” – when he and another soldier set up a covert observation post beside a farm in South Derry on St Patrick’s Day, 17 March 1978.
‘I lay in a pool of blood after being shot at point blank range’
Full story: Putin says Russia is releasing Stephen Hubbard
11:22 , Adam Withnall
Putin says Russia has freed US citizen, 74, jailed since 2022
Putin says he and Trump could meet in China
10:56 , Adam WithnallRussian president Vladimir Putin proposed meeting US president Donald Trump in China during talks with Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.
Both US and Russian officials have confirmed in recent days that a possible three-way summit in China was being discussed, but this is the first time Putin has raised the prospect personally.
Any meeting would likely take place on the sidelines of the APEC summit in China next month, which Trump is already due to attend.
Putin also offered to talkabout restoring economic cooperation between Moscow and Washington, Russian state TV said.
Putin tells Witkoff that Russia is releasing US citizen Stephen Hubbard
10:36 , Adam WithnallRussia has released retired American teacher Stephen Hubbard, who had been imprisoned on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, US envoy Steve Witkoff says.
Witkoff is meeting today with Russian president Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg. He says Putin told him that Hubbard was at the St Petersburg airport, Pulkovo, after his release.
Stephen Hubbard, of Michigan, was sentenced after a closed trial in 2024 to nearly seven years in prison. Prosecutors said he had signed a contract with the Ukrainian military after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, and that he fought alongside them until being captured two months later.
The US government under the Biden administration designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained.
Analysis: Trump has finally abandoned the West for Putin
10:00 , Shweta SharmaRubio says Zelensky and Witkoff's meeting was 'positive'
09:00 , Shweta SharmaUS secretary of state Marco Rubio says special envoy Steve Witkoff’s meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky a day earlier had been “positive”, with nothing “unexpected” or “surprising”.
“He (Witkoff) will now, armed with those ideas, be able to go to St Petersburg and share them with the Russian side, and let’s see if we can make some progress,” Rubio told reporters in Mumbai today, where he is taking part in a two-day visit to India.
Pictures show a missile crater in Kharkiv after two killed
07:50 , Shweta SharmaPictures have shown the scale of damage in Kharkiv after overnight Russian drone strikes killed two people.
Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram on Wednesday another 11 people suffered stress reactions in the attack that struck private houses and caused other damage.
Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff arrives in St Petersburg for talks with Putin
07:45 , Adam WithnallUS special envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Russia's second-largest city of St Petersburg, where he is set to meet Russian pPresident Vladimir Putin for talks aimed at resolving the war in Ukraine.
He will hold talks in the former Russian imperial capital a day after meeting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said Witkoff's meeting with Zelensky was “positive” and that Witkoff would discuss the outcomes of those talks with Putin.
Rubio says Trump did not order changes to Starlink system for Ukraine
07:30 , Shweta SharmaUS secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that neither Donald Trump nor anyone in the US administration ordered changes to intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Speaking in Mumbai, India, Rubio discussed reports surrounding Starlink, the satellite system vital to Ukraine's war effort, contradicting reports that the US government had a role in slowing the service for the Ukrainian military.
"What I can tell you with certainty is that the president of the United States, nor anyone in our system, ever requested that any changes to that system be made,” he said.
"We cannot direct a private company as to the decisions they make or do not make," he added.
According to a report published in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Musk was behind restrictions to Ukraine's Starlink access, which impeded the country's defence against Russian strikes and limited its own attacks.
"I'm not aware that we knew about this decision beforehand ... but it's irrelevant. The bottom line is that it is governed by a private commercial contract as to the how their stuff can be used ... And so we'll continue to engage on the matter."
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, last week said that because the systems were owned and controlled by the US government, any limits on speed or usage were decided by the US military or the US president.
Trump says he asked Putin to release American Stephen Hubbard
06:50 , Shweta SharmaDonald Trump said on Tuesday he has raised with Russian president Vladimir Putin the issue of Stephen Hubbard, a retired American school teacher held by Moscow, and hinted that a development in the case could happen soon.
Trump made the comment to reporters in the Oval Office as US envoy Steve Witkoff prepared to go to Moscow for more talks about Ukraine after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo on Tuesday.
In his remarks, Trump piled more pressure on Zelensky to make a deal with Russia to end Moscow's four-year war in Ukraine.
"Ukraine has to want to settle this war," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump suggested Moscow had the upper hand in the fight because "Russia is a big machine - they just keep grinding forward, and that's what they've done. They've taken a very large piece of land."
Trump, asked about the case of Hubbard, said he had been talking to Putin about the American, who has been declared wrongfully detained by the State Department.
"Just stick with me," said Trump. "I don't want to talk about it, but everybody has been after Hubbard for a long time, long before I got here. And just remember that question for a couple of days from now, okay? Because I do things that nobody else can do. "
"Watch what happens. We have been focused on Hubbard," he said.
Hubbard, 74, is serving a nearly seven-year sentence in a Russian penal colony on mercenary charges.
Russia hits cargo vessel, electric power substation in Ukraine
06:36 , Shweta SharmaThe Russian defence ministry said on Wednesday its drones had hit a cargo vessel carrying military cargo to Ukraine en route to the port of Odesa, hours before US envoy Steve Witkoff's meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg.
The ministry also said its forces had hit a warehouse complex used for drone storage in the central Ukrainian city of Poltava, and an electric power substation which supplies power to Ukrainian defence and industrial sector as well as logistics centres in Kyiv.
US envoy Witkoff to meet Putin in Russia
06:00 , Shweta SharmaUS special envoy Steve Witkoff is travelling to Russia to meet president Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday to discuss proposals on ending Russia's war in Ukraine.
Witkoff is to meet Putin a day after meeting president Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo.
The US official has said that Ukraine brought forward new ideas and proposals to the Oslo talks, which also involved the leaders of Norway and Finland and European and Nato representatives, and that participants made "meaningful progress" toward a coordinated approach to engaging Russia.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the talks covered "key elements of a comprehensive peace framework," including security guarantees for Ukraine, a post-war economic plan and a broader European security architecture.
Witkoff would aim to "create a pathway toward direct trilateral and broader multilateral negotiations," the official said.
Zelensky says he had 'constructive dialogue' with the US
05:50 , Shweta SharmaVolodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine and the US had a "constructive dialogue" following his talks in Oslo with Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff.
In a social media post, Zelensky said: “Today we discussed security guarantees, and I'm thankful to the American side for underlining again that they have to be strong.”
“There are different kinds of security guarantees on paper – in the document – which Steve will share with the Russians. We will hear his feedback afterwards,” he said.
Zelensky also had a call with Marco Rubio, who is travelling to India.
He said the two spoke “about sensitive issues such as Starlink, ballistic missile interceptors, and intelligence”.
“We were very concrete and the conversation was positive,” he said.
"It was constructive because all of us want peace – Ukraine, Europe, the United States."
Today we discussed security guarantees, and I'm thankful to the American side for underlining again that they have to be strong. There are different kinds of security guarantees on paper – in the document – which Steve will share with the Russians. We will hear his feedback… pic.twitter.com/SjyKs4d8mv
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 20, 2026
Musk ordered slowdown of Starlink in Ukraine, report says
04:50 , Shweta SharmaElon Musk last week ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite service that Ukraine relies on, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter.
Ukraine uses Starlink for battlefield communications and drone operations.
Restricting the satellite service hampered the country's attack and air defence drone missions against Russia.
Musk and US president Donald Trump discussed the Starlink decision in a call soon after the slowdown became public, while the president was campaigning last week, according to the report, which added the two had also discussed the matter prior to the decision to throttle Starlink.
According to a Reuters report, the order to limit the satellite system came from inside the White House.
Trump said last week he did not think either he or Musk was responsible for Ukraine losing Starlink access, while Musk said any limits on speed or Starship use were decided by the US military or the president.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's relations with Washington have sunk to new lows after Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel and waived new sanctions on Moscow. Trump has also told Kyiv to stop attacking Russian refineries and urged Ukrainians to replace Zelensky.
Zelensky, who is in Oslo in a bid to repair US relations, said on Tuesday he discussed issues including "the situation with Starlink/Starshield, which needs to be restored" with US secretary of state Marco Rubio.
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday Washington had not pulled back Ukraine's ability to access Starling's satellite network, but signalled the problem lay with the terms of service Kyiv needed to comply with.
Musk is yet to respond to the allegations.
Russian drones kill two people near Ukraine's Kharkiv overnight, governor says
03:51 , Shweta SharmaRussian drones killed two people near Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv overnight, Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram on Wednesday.
Another 11 people suffered stress reactions in the attack that struck private houses and caused other damage, he added.
Watch: Trump rift escalates as Rubio rages at ‘scandalous’ claims about US intelligence
03:00 , Maira ButtWitkoff to meet Putin on Wednesday, say US officials
02:00 , Maira ButtUS President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, a US official told Reuters.
The report followed Witkoff’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Norway on Tuesday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Ukraine brought forward new ideas and proposals and the goal in discussions with Putin is to build on progress made with Ukraine and Europe and discuss the proposals with Russia.
Analysis: Trump has finally abandoned the West for Putin. This is what the UK and Europe must do next
01:00 , Maira ButtDonald Trump is planning to have “peace talks” about Ukraine without Ukraine in China with Vladimir Putin. He has said that Kyiv needs to be represented by someone other than Volodymyr Zelensky. The ideas are mad, bad, and dangerous for Europe.
This is the moment when the West must stand apart and stand up to the US administration. Russia’s president has a proxy in the White House who seemingly acts entirely and only in the interests of Russia.
The Kremlin is an active enemy to Europe, and beyond. And so it is time for Nato’s European countries, Canada, Japan, South Korea and for the leaders of the free-thinking world to shut down and stop Trump’s ludicrous plan.
He, his secretary of state and “secretary of war” have all insisted that the US has given “hundreds of billions” to Ukraine’s war effort and “got nothing back”. The US has not given that much and, since Trump came to power, has given no military aid. Joe Biden gave and authorised about $127bn. Europe and the UK have given about $260bn in assistance.
The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley reports:
Trump has finally abandoned the West for Putin. This is what UK and Europe must do
The key moments that have shaped Trump and Zelensky’s rocky relationship
Wednesday 21 October 2026 00:01 , James ReynoldsRelations between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky have reached a new low after the US president tore up sanctions on Russia and struck a highly controversial deal to purchase Russian diesel.
The latest fracture followed months of careful positioning by the Ukrainian president and his allies in Europe to avoid upsetting Trump and the US abandoning the country altogether.
But with Ukraine facing another brutal winter of Russian strikes, Washington’s commitment to sharing vital intelligence and interceptor missiles is again in question.
And where Zelensky would once have tried to court the American president with open displays of praise and gratitude, this time he has stood his ground.
As US special envoy Steve Witkoff meets the Ukrainian president in Oslo in a bid to repair ties, The Independent looks back on the key moments that have shaped the rocky relationship between the two leaders:
The key moments that have shaped Trump and Zelensky’s rocky relationship
Musk ordered Starlink slowdown that blindsided Ukraine, WSJ reports
Tuesday 20 October 2026 23:00 , Maira ButtElon Musk ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink SPCX.O relied on by Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter.
He had previously suggested that he was not responsible for the outage.
“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and POTUS,” Musk wrote on X in response to a post by Ukraine’s foreign minister Mykhailo Fedorov saying that the technology was “critical” for the country.
Defence secretary Pete Hegseth had denied that the US was responsible, saying: “We haven't pulled anything back. There are terms of service that ultimately need to be complied to, and that's where Starlink has the option to make those decisions.”
Trump urges Ukraine to 'settle' with Russia
Tuesday 20 October 2026 21:57 , Maira ButtPresident Donald Trump has urged Ukraine to “settle” with Russia as tensions with Kyiv continued to escalate on Tuesday.
"Ukraine has to want to settle this war," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office and insisted that Moscow wanted to get the deal “done”.
"Russia is a big machine — they just keep grinding forward, and that's what they've done. They've taken a very large piece of land."
He added: “We've given a lot to Ukraine. We've gotten absolutely nothing back except grief, death, tremendous monetary loss.”
The latest: Zelensky’s approval rating surges as Trump rift escalates
Tuesday 20 October 2026 21:00 , James ReynoldsVolodymyr Zelensky has seen a significant boost in his trust rating among Ukrainians amid an escalating war of words with Donald Trump, who has piled pressure on Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.
A new poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on 20 October revealed that the Ukrainian president’s trust rating rose by 14 percentage points since the US struck a deal with Moscow to supply Russian diesel, drawing a furious reaction from Kyiv.
The survey found that 43% of Ukrainians trusted Zelensky between 8 October and 9, while 52% did not. Between 10 October and 16, his trust rating had jumped to 57%, while the number of people who distrusted him fell to 39%.
Top story: Zelensky to meet Witkoff in bid to repair ties with Trump administration
Tuesday 20 October 2026 20:00 , James ReynoldsUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was due on Tuesday in Oslo to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff, trying to repair ties that have deteriorated this month as President Donald Trump courted Moscow.
In the latest comments expressing warmth towards Moscow and coldness towards Kyiv, Trump said on Monday: "Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine." Zelenskiy was "not helping matters much" and Kyiv should find "somebody else to negotiate".
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged on Tuesday that a consignment of US air defence missiles bought by Europeans for Ukraine may not have been delivered, but played down the significance.
The Kremlin said it was hoping to set up a meeting soon between Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin, an apparent indication that Witkoff could head to Russia after meeting Zelensky.
Bessent says a Democrat-led Congress could do little to stop Trump agenda
Tuesday 20 October 2026 19:00 , James ReynoldsUS Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday that there is not much a Democrat-led House of Representatives could do to stop the Trump administration's agenda.
"I think there's very little," Bessent said in an interview on 2Way TV two weeks ahead of November's midterm elections.
Mother and baby daughter in pushchair killed in Russian drone strike on Ukraine park
Tuesday 20 October 2026 18:30 , Maira ButtA Ukrainian teacher and her one-year-old daughter were killed in a Russian drone strike while taking a stroll through the park, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Inna Mariukhna, a 28-year-old primary school teacher, and her 14-month-old daughter Angelina, were killed in the attack on a park in Nova Vodolaha, Kharkiv region, with Zelensky condemning the “pure atrocity”.
"A horrific Russian strike in the Kharkiv region,” he wrote on X. “A Shahed struck people directly – in a park near an ordinary café. Pure atrocity. Six people were killed, including children.
Alex Croft reports:
Mother and baby daughter in pushchair killed in Russian strike on Ukraine park
Zelensky and Witkoff found 'elements of peace' in talks, says Finnish PM
Tuesday 20 October 2026 18:21 , Maira ButtFinnish president Alexander Stubb has hinted that discussions between himself Volodymyr Zelensky and Steve Witkoff have gone well.
“We found some elements of peace, which will be taken forward to St Petersburg tomorrow,” he said.
Norway’s prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre said that Witkoff will fly to St Petersburg tomorrow where he will meet the Russian leadership.
The Norwegian leader said Zelensky had asked Finland and Norway to organise the talks.
The Ukrainian leader added that he hopes to speak to US secretary of state Marco Rubio within the next 48 hours.
He said he was thankful that intelligence on missile strikes “works now” after earlier reports suggested that Kyiv had been cut off.
Extraordinary footage shows Ukraine carry out first ever drone airlift of wounded soldier from frontline
Tuesday 20 October 2026 18:00 , James ReynoldsThis is the extraordinary moment Ukraine carried out what it said was the first ever evacuation of a wounded soldier from the frontline with a flying drone.
Ukraine’s 92nd Assault Brigade shared footage of Monday’s daring mission at an undisclosed location crowded with Russian drone activity and landmines.
An infantryman from the 30th Separate Mechanised Brigade had been injured and a heavy Russian presence made an evacuation with conventional ground vehicles impossible, they said.
The key moments that have shaped Trump and Zelensky’s rocky relationship
Tuesday 20 October 2026 17:30 , James ReynoldsRelations between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky have reached a new low after the US president tore up sanctions on Russia and struck a highly controversial deal to purchase Russian diesel.
The latest fracture followed months of careful positioning by the Ukrainian president and his allies in Europe to avoid upsetting Trump and the US abandoning the country altogether.
But with Ukraine facing another brutal winter of Russian strikes, Washington’s commitment to sharing vital intelligence and interceptor missiles is again in question.
And where Zelensky would once have tried to court the American president with open displays of praise and gratitude, this time he has stood his ground.
As US special envoy Steve Witkoff meets the Ukrainian president in Oslo in a bid to repair ties, The Independent looks back on the key moments that have shaped the rocky relationship between the two leaders:
The key moments that have shaped Trump and Zelensky’s rocky relationship
Jon Stewart tears into Trump’s Russian deal as Ukraine crisis deepens
Tuesday 20 October 2026 17:00 , James ReynoldsJon Stewart blasted President Donald Trump's Russian diesel deal as "insane" and "incoherent," accusing the administration of undermining its own sanctions against Moscow.
During Monday's Daily Show, Stewart played footage of Energy Secretary Chris Wright defending the agreement on Fox News, where Wright suggested encouraging Russian diesel exports could ultimately benefit Ukraine.
"Why would we motivate a group to sell diesel when we just put sanctions on them for selling diesel?" Stewart asked. "Doing the opposite within a month is insane. It is illogical. It is incoherent."
Read the full story:
Jon Stewart tears into Trump’s Russian diesel deal as Ukraine crisis deepens
Analysis: Trump has finally abandoned the West for Putin
Tuesday 20 October 2026 16:20 , James ReynoldsTrump’s plan for talks about Ukraine in China without Ukraine is the latest act in his sabotage campaign for Vladimir Putin, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley – and Europe and the UK need to act
Trump has finally abandoned the West for Putin. This is what UK and Europe must do
Two killed in 'Ukrainian attacks on Russian-controlled Luhansk'
Tuesday 20 October 2026 15:40 , James ReynoldsTwo people have been killed in Ukrainian attacks in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of Ukraine over the past day, the Moscow-installed governor said on Tuesday.
