Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he was pleased at the prospect of further sets of talks and European participation in them.
His Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, agreed on Thursday to let European representatives join the next round of Ukraine peace talks, a US envoy said, though he ruled out agreeing to foreign peacekeeping troops in Ukraine.
Such a deployment, he said, would be a "continuation of war".
"The Europeans will join at the next meeting, which we consider to be a very important moment because they are our partners and it's important to us that they take part," US envoy Steve Witkoff told Russian state TV after meeting Putin in the Kremlin.
Witkoff and fellow US presidential envoy Jared Kushner later flew to Ireland and met Zelensky.
There were, however, signs of renewed tensions, with Zelensky saying Ukrainian military units had recorded significant disruptions to Elon Musk's Starshield satellite communications service for several days, affecting the entire front line and Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.
He said that he also found the US approach of discussing a new European security order with Russia "a bit strange".
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Ukraine captures first Indonesian prisoner of war trying to join Russian assault
Key Points
- Zelensky hails ‘real result’ as prisoner exchange with Russia secured
- Russia says four killed in Ukraine attack
- Zelensky says Starshield speed limited again
- Hundreds of young people detained in Moscow and issued military summonses
- Kyiv says ‘fighting could end this year’ after peace talks but US warns of lack of trust
- Trump’s envoy says Putin agreed to let the EU join ceasefire talks
Sapphire linked to Romanov family fetches nearly £4m at auction
08:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarA bracelet containing a sapphire once owned by Russia's doomed Romanov family has fetched more than 4.1 million Swiss francs (£3.7 million) at auction in Geneva.
Sotheby's said that the price vastly exceeded the expected price range of 850,000 to 1.7 million francs (£770,000 to £1.54 million) for the stone, which went under the hammer late on Wednesday.
The buyer was a private collector who was not identified.
The cushion-shaped sapphire weighs 197.80 carats and is a Ceylon stone that likely came from the Mughal Empire in South Asia.
More here.
Sapphire once belonging to doomed Romanov family fetches nearly £4m at auction
Finland says its forces detected 'strike' on Russian warship in Baltic Sea
07:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarFinland's military said on Thursday its forces had detected "a strike" on a Russian warship in the Baltic Sea a day earlier, but that the security situation in the area remained stable.
It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties or what had caused the strike. Estonian media reported on Thursday that the vessel was a small Russian navy ship and that it later returned to St Petersburg.
"The Finnish Defence Forces detected... a strike on a Russian warship in the Gulf of Finland area and has monitored the development of the situation," a spokesperson for the Nordic country's military said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
Finland is not under any immediate military threat, the spokesperson added.
The defence forces declined to provide further details about the location or timing of the incident, or how it was detected.
Putin says Western peacekeeping troops in Ukraine would trigger resumption of war
07:16 , Rituparna ChatterjeeRussian president Vladimir Putin said Moscow had always been open to talking to the EU about Ukraine, but signalled serious outstanding differences.
"As far as the Europeans are concerned, we have never been opposed to engaging in dialogue with Europe, and we have never broken off that dialogue. It was they who broke off the dialogue with the Russian Federation," he said.
He then warned that the European idea of sending Western troops into Ukraine once a peace deal was concluded would trigger a resumption of the war because Russia would see that as a threat to its own security.
"We would very much like you, gentlemen, and the US administration as a whole, to work with your European allies so that they can finally make up their minds as to what they want: peace or war in Ukraine," said Putin.
Ukrainian troops spent month in underground tunnels to launch counterattack
07:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarSoldiers fighting for Ukraine crawled through 15 kilometres of gas pipeline filled with corpses to launch a surprise attack on Russian troops in Kharkiv.
Volodymyr Zelensky had last month hailed the “stunning success” of the operation by the Khartiia corps, launched to prevent Russian troops slipping into the eastern city of Kupyansk.
Now, Kyiv has revealed that its troops spent as long as a month underground, battling through freezing water and sifting through the bodies of dead Russian soldiers that Moscow had built up as a barricade inside the long tunnels - before opening fire on a group of Russian soldiers.
More here.
Ukrainians ‘crawled 15km through gas pipe’ in surprise attack on Russian troops
Human rights lawyer Maria Bontsler, 66, sentenced to 12 years in jail
06:20 , Rituparna ChatterjeeA Russian court in Kaliningrad sentenced 66-year-old human rights lawyer Maria Bontsler to 12 years in a penal colony on treason charges, the legal rights project Slovo Zashite said.
Prosecutors accused her of passing sensitive information to Ukraine, according to Al Jazeera.
“My administrative and criminal prosecution stems from my professional work in human rights advocacy and legal practice – specifically, from providing qualified legal assistance to dissidents, members of the opposition, and others,” Bontsler was quoted as saying by the Moscow Times in her final statement to the court.
Russia says four killed in Ukraine attack
06:13 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarAt least four people were killed in a Ukrainian attack on Russia’s Volgograd region, the governor said this morning.
The statement comes after local reports suggested Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in Volgograd city and a production facility in Rostov-on-Don.
Ukraine says it struck Russia's five biggest oil refineries in past two weeks
06:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUkraine's military has just said that it successfully attacked Russia’s five largest oil refineries since 30 October.
This includes refineries in Omsk, Kirishi, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl.
In a post on Telegram, the General Staff said the smaller Novokuibyshevsk and Saratov refineries had also been hit.
It is part of Ukraine’s wider strategy to hit Russia’s wartime economy, while bringing the war home to ordinary Russians who feel the impacts in the form of price increases.
Zelensky says Starshield speed limited again
05:11 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian military units recorded significant disruptions to Elon Musk’s Starshield satellite communications service for several days.
Zelensky said systemic restrictions were limiting the speed at which Starshield could be used to 161kph.
Starshield is the military version of the Starlink satellite communications service. SpaceX, the satellite firm run by Musk, provides the Starshield military service to the US government.
Zelensky said that as a result of the restrictions, Ukrainian interceptors could not reach sufficient speed to down Russian jet-powered drones, with some hits already occurring.
“This helps Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes on Ukraine,” he said.
He added that Ukraine was trying to clarify the reasons for the restriction with the US side.
Russian colonel killed in car explosion outside St Petersburg: report
05:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarA Russian colonel has been killed in a car explosion outside St Petersburg, according to reports.
Investigators have opened a murder probe after an unnamed serviceman died in the blast in the city’s Pushkinsky District early on Thursday.
A bomb is believed to have been strapped to the underside of the vehicle, detonating on the Kolpino Highway around 7am local time, according to local media.
More here.
Russian colonel killed in car explosion outside St Petersburg: report
Trump’s envoy says Putin agreed to let the EU join ceasefire talks
04:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUS envoy Steve Witkoff said Russia’s Vladimir Putin has agreed to let European representatives join the next round of peace talks.
However, the Russian president also urged Washington to work with European allies to understand if they wanted peace or war in Ukraine.
Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Moscow to meet Putin and to Dublin to meet Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky.
In his statement, Kushner said a lasting end to the fighting required credible security guarantees and “reciprocal” de-escalation commitments to reduce risk of future conflict.
Zelensky hails ‘real result’ as prisoner exchange with Russia secured
03:40 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed the agreement for a prisoner exchange with Russia as a “real result”.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner described “very intense” talks with Russia and its president Vladimir Putin in recent days, and pledged to work hard to reach US President Donald Trump’s goal of ending the war.
The three men were speaking to the media in Ireland on Thursday evening.
More here.
Zelensky hails ‘real result’ as prisoner exchange with Russia secured
US working toward 'largest prisoner exchange' of Russia's war, says Kushner
03:14 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUS president Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner said Russia and Ukraine agreed to expand the next round of talks to include European nations as Washington works toward the war's "largest prisoner exchange".
The remarks came after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed news of European presence at the next round of the US-brokered peace talks, saying he hoped the agenda would include efforts towards ceasefires and defusing the conflict.
"We are also working toward what would be the largest prisoner exchange of the war, potentially reuniting thousands of people with their families," Kushner wrote on X, without giving details of the deal.
Expansion of the next round of talks with European partners would allow the tackling of "broader postwar European security arrangements alongside the territorial issues between Ukraine and Russia," Kushner said.
Ukraine captures first Indonesian prisoner of war fighting for Russia
03:00 , Alex CroftUkraine says it has captured its first Indonesian prisoner of war amid a reported surge in Russian recruitment of fighters from the southeast Asian country.
The 49-year-old man, originally from the Indonesian island of Java, was reportedly deployed to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region to take part in a Russian assault.
According to Ukraine's state-run I Want to Live project, the man managed to reach Ukrainian-held territory after his unit came under a drone attack, where he was subsequently captured by Ukrainian forces.
The capture comes amid Ukrainian claims that Russia has stepped up efforts to recruit Indonesian nationals to fight in its war.
Ukraine captures first Indonesian prisoner of war trying to join Russian assault
Ukraine says it struck Russia's five biggest oil refineries in past two weeks
01:30 , Alex CroftUkraine's military has just said that it successfully attacked Russia’s five largest oil refineries since 30 October.
This includes refineries in Omsk, Kirishi, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl.
In a post on Telegram, the General Staff said the smaller Novokuibyshevsk and Saratov refineries had also been hit.
It is part of Ukraine’s wider strategy to hit Russia’s wartime economy, while bringing the war home to ordinary Russians who feel the impacts in the form of price increases.
Reason to believe Russian intelligence will carry out sabotage in coming year
00:00 , ReutersThere is good reason to expect that Russian intelligence will carry out sabotage in Norway in the coming year, Norwegian security service PST said on Thursday, adding that there had been a serious development in the threat of sabotage in 2026.
Hybrid warfare and sabotage on European soil gained renewed attention after Germany in September blamed Russia for an attempted drone attack at the Leipzig/Halle Airport, prompting European Union members to call for new sanctions against Russia.
The defence industry, defence companies and firms that provide services to them are the most likely targets in Norway, the PST said in a statement.
Wizz Air boss calls for Europe-wide coordination on bomb threats
Thursday 12 November 2026 23:01 , ReutersEurope needs a more harmonised approach to security and a body to lead it against "hybrid warfare" following a recent series of bomb threats, the CEO of Hungarian budget airline Wizz Air said on Thursday.
Bomb threats have disrupted travel, newsrooms and schools across Europe in November, with the latest alert temporarily disrupting train services in northern France on Thursday morning.
"I personally had a meeting with the European Commission very recently, trying to address this issue and urging these people to act together and find ways of getting coordinated," Jozsef Varadi said in a post-earnings call.
The emailed threats add to concerns among European officials that the hoaxes are part of a campaign of "hybrid" disruptions, which many have blamed on Russia, aimed at countries that have helped Ukraine. Moscow has denied involvement.
Ukraine says it struck Russia's five biggest oil refineries in past two weeks
Thursday 12 November 2026 22:00 , Alex CroftUkraine's military has just said that it successfully attacked Russia’s five largest oil refineries since 30 October.
This includes refineries in Omsk, Kirishi, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl.
In a post on Telegram, the General Staff said the smaller Novokuibyshevsk and Saratov refineries had also been hit.
It is part of Ukraine’s wider strategy to hit Russia’s wartime economy, while bringing the war home to ordinary Russians who feel the impacts in the form of price increases.
Rubio admits ‘a lot of work to be done’ for peace - ICYMI
Thursday 12 November 2026 21:01 , Alex CroftIreland under pressure to stop sending Russia an ingredient vital to its war on Ukraine
Thursday 12 November 2026 20:01 , Rituparna ChatterjeeAfter being moored along Ireland’s boggy River Shannon estuary this week, the 120-metre-long (400-foot-long) cargo ship Karin set sail for Russia.
The vessel was laden with a bulk cargo of white powder that can be forged into weapons which are vital to Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
Alumina, a key ingredient in aluminium, goes into products from toothpaste and lipstick to missiles and drones.
Zelensky urges Europe to tighten Russian sanctions
Thursday 12 November 2026 19:00 , Shweta SharmaUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has called on European countries to strengthen sanctions against Russia, arguing that restricting Moscow's ability to manufacture weapons is one of the most effective ways to pressure it into meaningful peace negotiations.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Irish prime minister Micheál Martin, Zelensky said sanctions should target not only Russian individuals and entities linked to Vladimir Putin but also businesses supplying critical components and equipment used to manufacture ballistic missiles, attack drones and communications systems.
Zelensky also said Ukraine's long-range strikes against Russian military-industrial facilities were proving effective and urged international partners to support those efforts legally, economically and politically.
"Russian weapons production facilities are within range of our long-range capabilities," he said, thanking European allies for their efforts to strengthen sanctions against Moscow.
Russian colonel killed in car explosion outside St Petersburg: report
Thursday 12 November 2026 18:01 , Alex CroftA Russian colonel has been killed in a car explosion outside St Petersburg, according to reports.
Investigators have opened a murder probe after an unnamed serviceman died in the blast in the city’s Pushkinsky District early on Thursday.
A bomb is believed to have been strapped to the underside of the vehicle, detonating on the Kolpino Highway around 7am local time, according to local media.
An unnamed source told Russian outlet Fontanka that a colonel had killed in the blast while driving. A family member travelling with them was injured by shrapnel, they added.
James Reynolds reports:
Russian colonel killed in car explosion outside St Petersburg: report
UK sanctions all 10 of Russia's major oil producers
Thursday 12 November 2026 17:00 , Alex CroftThe UK is sanctioning all 10 of Russia’s major oil producers, Andy Burnham will announce as he attends a gathering of European leaders in Ireland.
The Prime Minister will use the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Dublin to urge leaders from some 50 nations to ramp up pressure on Vladimir Putin to take peace talks seriously.
Mr Burnham said Britain has slapped a package of new sanctions on Moscow, including on shadow fleet vessels illicitly transporting Russian oil, Russian oil company Slavneft, and Rosneft’s flagship Arctic oil and gas project LLC Vostok Oil.
At the EPC, the Prime Minister will co-chair a small group meeting on Ukraine on Thursday afternoon, alongside the country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Peace talks on Ukraine have progressed but now is not the time for complacency – we must continue to ramp up pressure on Russia to agree a full and immediate ceasefire,” he said.
“That is why the UK has announced a sweep of stinging new sanctions to turn the screws on Russia’s oil revenues and drive forward an end to the Kremlin’s needless war.
“We all now need to harness the momentum on negotiations and find a way forward for our security at home, and the security of our continent.”
Hundreds of young people detained in Moscow and issued military summonses
Thursday 12 November 2026 16:01 , Alex CroftHundreds of young Russians were detained by police in Moscow and issued military summonses, sparking fears of an impending mass mobilisation for its war on Ukraine, according to reports.
Russian forces are struggling to recruit enough men for the war, in which it has deployed a attritional warfare strategy, sending vast numbers of troops towards heavily fortified Ukrainian defences.
Some adults reportedly were issued draft notices or pressured to sign army contracts in what police described as a “preventive operation”, according to Radio Free Europe.
Experts told The Kyiv Independent that the raids are not only a mobilisation measure, but part of a wider attempt to tighten control over young people as it looks to ramp up the pressure on them to join the war effort.
Europe must decide on its own security, around 40 leaders expected to say
Thursday 12 November 2026 16:01 , Alex CroftEuropean leaders are gathered for a summit in Dublin as they call for a stronger role in the ongoing talks between Russia and Ukraine.
A group of about 40 countries is expected to say on Thursday that any matter affecting European security should be decided with the Europeans, according to a draft declaration on key principles of European security seen by the Reuters news agency.,
"The signatory states recall that the path to peace in Ukraine should be decided with Ukraine and that any matter affecting European security should be decided with the Europeans," the countries wrote in a draft declaration initiated by France's foreign minister.
"They emphasize that Ukraine's security is an integral part of Euro-atlantic security and that future developments in European strategic stability will be conditional upon the conclusion of the war in Ukraine," they added.
The signatories laid out their support for principles including respect for the sovereign equality of states, the inviolability of borders and the right to choose whether to participate in alliances, as well as a commitment to human rights.
Putin proposes joint Kyiv-Moscow aid mission to Kostiantynivka
Thursday 12 November 2026 15:29 , ReutersPresident Vladimir Putin on Thursday told US envoys that Russia was proposing a joint Russian-Ukrainian humanitarian mission to the city of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine, the Interfax news agency reported.
Putin was cited as saying that the mission could be modelled on a similar initiative that allowed residents to leave the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky in southeastern Ukraine at the end of last month and for aid to be brought in for those who chose to remain.
Russia needed 5 days to clear the area near Kostiantynivka of mines, Putin was cited as saying.
Comment | These Ukraine talks are nothing more than an exercise in delusion and illusion
Thursday 12 November 2026 15:01 , Alex CroftBrokered by American businessmen, Ukrainian and Russian securocrats met in Abu Dhabi in a stalling effort to find peace in Europe - without Europe present. It was a masterclass in delusion and illusion.
It fell to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky after the talks ended to spell out the absurdity of leaving the US and Russia to carve up a future shape of the European map with only Kyiv on the other side of the table.
“We believe that Europe must be represented at every stage of real diplomacy,” Volodymr Zelensky said on X.
This is a view widely accepted in Europe. Yet no one in Europe has been able to agree to a united view of what the Continent wants from talks.
Europe’s securocrats do agree that negotiations with Putin should not be conducted from an assumption of Ukrainian weakness.
Sam Kiley writes:
These Ukraine talks are nothing more than an exercise in delusion and illusion
Witkoff and Kushner meet Putin in Kremlin
Thursday 12 November 2026 14:29 , Alex CroftUS envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived at the Kremlin on Thursday for talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
It is part of a new push for a peace deal in Ukraine despite what they have called a lack of trust between Moscow and Kyiv.
The negotiations are the 10th time Witkoff has met Putin in person during a conflict that has lasted longer than the Soviet Union's fight against Nazi Germany in World War Two, and follow two days of US-led trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi.
As he entered a Moscow hotel before the Kremlin talks, Witkoff was asked by a reporter whether progress made in the talks so far meant peace was closer.
"I hope so," he replied.
After the Abu Dhabi talks, the first direct US-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in nine months, the sides said they had agreed on a major exchange of prisoners of war that is likely to happen in the coming weeks, but announced no breakthrough in wider negotiations.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators reported some progress in Abu Dhabi, but the US side said differences remained on major issues, including territory.
Putin says foreigners fighting in Ukraine are 'legitimate targets'
Thursday 12 November 2026 14:15 , Alex CroftUkraine peace talks between Vladimir Putin and US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner began in the Kremlin on Thursday.
The Russian president warned that foreign troops fighting in Ukraine are “legitimate targets”,
Putin added that the presence of foreign troops in Ukraine poses a threat to Russia’s national security.
It is estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 foreign troops are fighting in Ukraine, with a large portion believed to be from countries in Latin America.
Meanwhile in the talks, Kushner told Putin that Europe wanted a role in future negotiations, while Witkoff said a major prisoner exchange agreed earlier this week during talks in Abu Dhabi was a sign of progress.
Macron calls for clear and united European vision on Ukraine
Thursday 12 November 2026 13:30 , Alex CroftFrench president Emmanuel Macron has once again called on Thursday for a clear, united European vision on Ukraine.
"I think that today, above all, Europe needs a clear and united vision of what it wants,” the French president said.
His comments came after two days of peace talks in Abu Dhabi took place earlier this week.
European leaders, including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, are meeting in Dublin for talks.
