Russia and Ukraine agree to resume peace talks next month amid ongoing strikes

Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to resume US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine as soon as next month, the Kremlin said, ​after Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday. 

The Kremlin said the new three-way peace talks, which would be at a technical level, could take ​place in Abu Dhabi and would be focused on how to guarantee the security of Ukraine and Russia once the war ended. They could begin sometime on or ⁠after November 10, it said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who supports the US proposal for three-way talks with Russia and the United States at the negotiator level, said the talks are to be held as soon as possible, preferably no later than early November.

As diplomatic efforts are ongoing, strikes on the front line have not yet come to a halt. Kyiv, capital of Ukraine, was struck by Russian ​ballistic missiles on ​Wednesday evening, which damaged infrastructure and public facilities while injuring six people, according to Vitali Klitschko, mayor of Kyiv. 

Meanwhile, European leaders will seek to agree on how to finance Ukraine's €70 billion (about $78.6 billion) unmet needs in 2027 at ​a special summit on November 26 and 27, where ‌they will also discuss the EU's next long-term budget, an official from the bloc involved in preparations said.

(With input from agencies)