Massive Russian strikes hit Kyiv hours after Putin signals readiness for peace talks

SNOW TV NEWS DESK

Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone assault on Kyiv overnight into Thursday, only hours after President Vladimir Putin said he was prepared to resume trilateral peace negotiations next month.

The diplomatic opening followed a three-hour meeting in St. Petersburg between Putin and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff. During the talks, Witkoff pressed for a return to negotiations and publicly praised Putin for the release of 74-year-old American citizen Stephen Hubbard. Putin agreed to resume discussions involving Ukraine and the United States after November 10.

That gesture was swiftly undercut by a barrage of 21 missiles and 210 drones. The attack killed two people and wounded 34 others. Ukrainian officials confirmed that central Kyiv was struck with a cluster warhead.

“Russian ‘humanitarians’ have launched three waves of ballistic strikes against Kyiv since this evening,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said. “This means there has been no real change in its attitude toward everything that is happening.” He added that when ballistic missiles are the response to talks, “real pressure must be applied on Russia to take other steps – steps to stop the killings,” and again urged urgent deliveries of air-defense systems.

Ukraine’s air force reported that none of the ballistic missiles aimed at Kyiv were intercepted, underscoring the acute shortage of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors.

A separate strike on a central market in Lozova, in the Kharkiv region, left at least two dead and dozens injured.

In Russia, Moscow’s mayor said air defenses had intercepted most of the 630 drones heading toward the region overnight; two people were injured in the rural Voronovo area.

Despite the proposed talks—which Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov suggested could be held in Abu Dhabi—Moscow has shown no sign of easing its core demands. Russia continues to insist on Ukraine ceding the entire Donbas, sharply reducing its military, and abandoning any ambition to join NATO.

Zelensky, who met Witkoff in Norway before the envoy’s trip to Russia, voiced skepticism. “Russia said many times it is ready for a meeting and then things changed and got canceled,” he noted. “Let’s see what happens this time.” He reiterated that Ukraine remains open to negotiations in any format, preferably with European allies included, but will not accept deals reached without its direct participation: “Don’t speak about us without us.”

SNOW TV NEWS EDITORIAL ANALYSIS

The sequence is familiar and revealing: a carefully staged diplomatic opening followed within hours by a deliberately lethal demonstration of force. By pairing the offer of talks with an unchallenged ballistic strike on the capital, Moscow is testing both Western resolve and Ukrainian endurance. 

Until the military pressure is matched by credible costs—particularly sustained air-defense supplies and enforcement of red lines—the proposed November negotiations risk becoming another exercise in managed expectations rather than genuine de-escalation.