Russia and Ukraine settled on a big prisoner-of-war exchange in Abu Dhabi, where US-mediated talks ran two days and ended Wednesday, Nov. 11, with no major breakthrough and no ceasefire. Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, said the numbers would be finalized the next day. Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, said the agreement was "in principle."

On Thursday, Kushner and US envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. They then met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Baldonnel Aerodrome, outside Dublin. Zelensky announced agreement on what he called the biggest prisoner exchange since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

He called it a "real result" and said thousands of prisoners of war could return to their families. According to Kushner, the talks worked out the details for bringing back thousands of people. He also said Putin is "ready to try" having Europeans take part in future talks.

Witkoff said another meeting is on the schedule. Earlier, Russian military official Alexander Zorin said a swap could take place within two or three weeks. Zelensky has stated Ukraine will not yield to pressure to surrender occupied land for peace.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday, Nov. 12, that Starshield, the military version of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite network, is again under "systematic speed restrictions." He said units have recorded significant disruptions for several days along the entire front line and in Russian-occupied areas. Ukraine says its interceptor drones lose their satellite link if they fly faster than about 100 miles per hour, which Zelensky says makes it harder to stop Russian jet-powered drones.

A Ukrainian official said limits were 10% on the first day and 50% on the second, and that 100% of missions now fail. SpaceX denied it, telling Axios and the Washington Examiner there has been no change. Denys Sienik, Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in the US, said Kyiv has no clarification from SpaceX or the Pentagon.

Zelensky said the restrictions started just before President Trump's envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The envoys were expected to meet Zelensky later in Dublin. Ukraine reported a similar problem in October, and Musk later said Ukraine had broken Starlink's terms of service.

The Congressional Ukraine Caucus demanded a full accounting.

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U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump's special envoy and son-in-law, landed in Moscow on Thursday, Nov. 12, for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev greeted them at the airport. They come after two days of U.S.-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi between Russia and Ukraine.

Those ended Wednesday with agreement on another prisoner exchange but no visible breakthrough on ending the war. Kushner said the exchange is the largest of the war to date. After Moscow, the envoys are to go to Dublin to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is attending a European summit there.

Kushner said one aim in Moscow is to ask Putin to let Europeans join the negotiations. Russia has opposed that. Kushner has said territory will be the hardest issue, and Zelenskyy insists Ukraine will not give up occupied land in exchange for peace.

Overnight, Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 123 drones, and Russia's Defense Ministry said it downed 71 Ukrainian drones. Zelenskyy also said restrictions on the Starshield satellite network, run through Elon Musk's SpaceX, have made it harder to intercept Russian jet-powered drones.

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Delegations from the United States, Russia and Ukraine opened two days of talks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday, Nov. 10. It is the first such meeting since February. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are mediating.

Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, leads Kyiv's team, and Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky leads Russia's. Before the session, the US envoys met representatives of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission. The White House said the talks will focus on security guarantees.

A US official said that in private, Moscow and Kyiv have shown "a little bit of flexibility" on territory, though Russia publicly demands all of Donetsk while Ukraine wants the current line frozen. The official said the Donetsk and territorial questions will not be solved until the postwar security setup is clear. Putin wants Ukraine to pull back from four regions and drop its NATO bid, and he rejects a general halt in fighting.

Zelenskyy rejects voluntarily ceding territory Russia has not taken on the battlefield. Overnight, Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 162 drones and a ballistic missile, while Russia said it shot down 155 Ukrainian drones. Ukraine's prime minister said Russian strikes hit five major energy substations.

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Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven countries began two days of talks in Paris on Monday. The US, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan are taking part. It is Secretary of State Marco Rubio's first overseas trip since the midterm elections, in which Republicans lost control of Congress.

Ukraine, Iran, energy and artificial intelligence are among the topics. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to meet Ukrainian and Russian officials in Abu Dhabi. Rubio said some progress has been achieved on security arrangements after the war for Ukraine and the remainder of Europe, but nothing has been settled yet.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Europe must have a place at the table. On Iran, Qatari and other mediators have proposed an interim solution. Rubio said the parties are not near a breakthrough, and he described Iran's demands as unacceptable, in some instances even "outrageous."

France has signaled there will be no joint communique. Canada announced new sanctions on Russia on the sidelines, adding 38 entities and 24 individuals to its list.

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Democrats won both the House and the Senate in the US midterm elections on Tuesday and will take control of Congress on January 3. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expects more support from Washington. He thanked Republicans who stood by Kyiv and said Democrats speak clearly about backing Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called a possible challenge from the new Congress an internal US matter and said he hopes President Trump will continue his peace efforts. Talks involving Russian, Ukrainian and US representatives are planned in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Trump said he met Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Washington on Thursday and predicted a big agreement that, he said, might involve all of Europe.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia's Security Council, predicted Trump would be less inclined to press Ukraine once the new Congress is seated. Jorn Fleck of the Atlantic Council said Democrats will struggle to impose meaningful limits on Trump's foreign policy. Al Jazeera reports that US aid to Ukraine has slowed to a trickle since 2025 and that Republican Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania lost his seat.

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Russia hit Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine with ballistic missiles and drones overnight into Saturday, Nov. 7, damaging energy facilities and causing power, water and heating problems in the capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia fired 36 ballistic missiles and 172 drones at Kyiv and 12 other regions, and that only four of the missiles were taken down. Kyiv's Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River was closed.

Ukraine's Energy Ministry said the strikes damaged networks carrying power from nuclear plants to Kyiv and central regions. Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed it targeted the bridge, saying it carried weapons and military equipment for Ukraine's forces, and said it also struck a plant that makes Flamingo missiles. Zelenskyy said Russia was preparing for peace talks by attacking critical infrastructure and urged more US support and attention from Congress.

Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the US are to meet Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, in what would be the fourth round brokered by the Trump administration. Separately, the death toll in the village of Komyshuvakha, hit by Russian guided bombs on Monday as residents waited for humanitarian aid, rose to 55, with dozens missing. Russia said it shot down 411 Ukrainian drones overnight.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Ukraine has intelligence that Russia is preparing a new massive attack, aimed mainly at energy and logistics. He said the assumption is that the world will be watching the U.S. midterm elections on Tuesday and will overlook events in Ukraine, along with its difficulties with air defense and Patriot missiles. Zelensky urged the United States and the world to press Russia until it has no alternative but to end the war, saying America can do this.

According to Fox News, the warning came hours after a Russian strike on a school used to hand out humanitarian aid in Komyshuvakha, in the Zaporizhzhia region. Ukrainska Pravda reported at least 26 people killed. Zelensky also said, as the Daily Beast reports, that Russia now hits power grids as well as power plants, with dozens of strikes a day.

The Daily Beast also reports that Ukrainian drones set a refinery in Yaroslavl, Russia, ablaze overnight on Tuesday. Fox News, citing Reuters, says the State Department approved the potential sale of 500 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine.

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First lady Melania Trump will host representatives of Russia and Ukraine at the White House on Thursday, Nov. 5, her office announced on Nov. 3. The office calls it "an extraordinary moment in American history" and says she independently started contact between the two countries and secured a ceasefire in Oleshky, a city in Ukraine's Kherson region. The pause ran six days, from Oct. 27 through Nov. 1, to let aid in and civilians leave.

Mrs. Trump said it enabled the evacuation of nearly 800 people. According to the Epoch Times, both sides described the truce as successful. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would welcome more ceasefires.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia has no similar plans at this time, according to Newsweek. The New York Post notes the announcement did not say who will attend. Newsweek reports that a Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent that Ukraine's rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and Russia's rights commissioner Yana Lantratova are expected.

Newsweek adds that Lantratova was sanctioned by the US in 2022 and would need a special State Department waiver to enter. Newsweek says Kyiv and Moscow have not publicly commented on who will attend.

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Russia's air campaign is hurting Ukraine's steel and grain sectors and its public finances. The strikes come almost daily, using ballistic missiles and drones powered by jet engines. They hit industrial and energy plants as well as railways and export routes.

Kamet Steel, a complex in the city of Kamianske, closed after five ballistic missiles struck it on Sept. 5. In 2025 it produced over a quarter of the country's steel. Missile attacks have also brought steel output to a stop throughout Metinvest Group, a mining and metals company.

Attacks on ports and ships have sharply cut Black Sea trade. Maritime analytics firm Lloyd's List Intelligence counted just 21 ship arrivals in August, about 90% fewer than a year before. Ports on the Danube river offer a costlier alternative.

Ukraine's central bank forecasts a 0.4% economic contraction for 2026 and has raised its inflation forecast. Roksolana Pidlasa, head of parliament's budget committee, says the country faces its worst cash squeeze since Russia's 2022 invasion. The funding gap for 2026 is just under $25 billion.

Significant US aid has not been authorized since Donald Trump returned to the presidency.

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U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff announced on X that the United States will mediate working-level talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10-11. He listed post-war security, de-escalation, humanitarian work and next steps toward peace as the focus. Ahead of that, American negotiators are due to meet in Brussels with officials from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the EU and NATO.

Witkoff said that session will deal with security guarantees for Ukraine, Europe's security setup after the war and economic support for rebuilding. Axios reports that Witkoff and Jared Kushner will lead the U.S. delegation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Russia will take part, according to Breitbart News.

UPI says the last talks were held in Geneva in February, when the U.S. war with Iran began. CBS News says Putin has not dropped his demand that Ukraine accept Russia's annexation of some territory, and Zelenskyy has ruled that out. A local ceasefire around Oleshky let aid in, and First Lady Melania Trump said nearly 800 people were evacuated.

Russian strikes have continued, and authorities reported at least 29 deaths in a Zaporizhzhia village.

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Ukrainian authorities said their air raid alert app was apparently hacked late on Sunday. It sent false warnings of radiation and chemical threats in Kyiv and of street fighting. One message mentioned a nuclear alert and an Oreshnik missile.

Ukraine's Air Force said the app had probably been hacked and that there was no radiation threat. The State Emergency Service said the national warning system worked normally. Authorities said the app was restored overnight and urged users not to click links in suspicious notifications.

Russia's Emergencies Ministry then said, early Monday according to Fox News, that its own mobile app had suffered a massive cyberattack that let attackers send false information to the public. According to ABC News, the ministry said the wider alert system was working normally and did not name who carried out the attack. Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications blamed Russia, according to Fox News.

A Russian Telegram channel, Mash, said a group called Hitcore claimed responsibility, according to ABC News, which said the claim could not be independently verified. UPI reports that the incident came hours after Russian missile and drone strikes on energy sites in four Ukrainian regions.

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A Russian attack on Monday destroyed an aid center and shelter in Komyshuvakha, a village in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region. By Tuesday the death toll stood at 31, and more than 45 residents were still missing, according to the AP. UPI reports at least 33 dead.

Mykhailo Semikin, acting head of the region's military administration, called it one of the worst tragedies for civilians in the region since the full-scale war began. He said police officers and rescue workers were among the dead. Officials declared a period of mourning in Zaporizhzhia.

Russia used bunker-busting bombs in the strike. Rescuers and volunteers kept searching the rubble. Overnight, more Russian strikes hit power plants and hospitals in several regions, including Kharkiv and Dnipro, and caused emergency power cuts.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the barrage came on the day of U.S. elections and urged more help to defend Ukraine's skies. Russia's Defense Ministry said it shot down Ukrainian drones overnight. U.S.-mediated talks among Ukraine, Russia and the United States are due to begin Nov. 10 in Abu Dhabi, according to envoy Steve Witkoff.

The Kremlin said a Russian delegation will attend.

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The US State Department said on Friday, Oct. 30, that it had approved the proposed sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missiles to Ukraine. The estimated price is $2.1 billion. According to the department, Ukraine will pay with donations from Canada, Germany and Norway, passed through a US program called JUMPSTART, and with national funds financed by the EU's Ukraine Support Loan.

The department said no US funds are involved. Lockheed Martin is the principal contractor. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the decision but warned that deliveries may begin only in a few years.

He asked the US and European allies to give Ukraine Patriots from their own stockpiles now and to refill them in coming years with the missiles Ukraine has bought. He said Russia had carried out more than 30 strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure over two weeks. Two people briefed on the decision said the missiles have not been built yet and are not expected before a couple of years into the 2030s.

One of them said Ukraine's Defense Ministry is urging the Pentagon to move the date up. The approval follows tensions between Zelenskyy and President Trump, including Trump's diesel deal with Russia.

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The Wall Street Journal reports, in a story published Oct. 31, on Russia's shadow fleet. According to the Journal, the fleet is turning to nets and rubber tires as makeshift armor against drones. The Journal says Russian oil exports help pay for Moscow's war effort.

It adds that Ukraine is trying to hit those exports "hard." Each point above is the Wall Street Journal's account of events, as the newspaper presents it, and is attributed to that outlet alone.

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A local ceasefire began at 3 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city on the Dnipro River in Ukraine's Kherson region. It is meant to let food and medicine in and let civilians leave. The White House said first lady Melania Trump secured the deal.

Ukraine's human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, and his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, said on Wednesday there had been no violations in the first 30 hours, according to ABC News. The truce is due to run until late Sunday, Nov. 1. Melania Trump said on X that the area covered has widened within the Kherson region to give convoys safe passage.

BBC News and UPI report that aid deliveries come first, followed by an evacuation planned for Friday. Russia seized Oleshky in the first days of its February 2022 invasion. About 24,000 people lived there before the war.

Estimates of those who remain range from about 1,700 to 2,000 in the city, with several thousand more in surrounding areas. Residents and relatives told the BBC they fear Russia could check evacuees' phones or block their return to Ukraine. The ceasefire does not cover the rest of Ukraine, where Russian strikes on Kyiv continued.

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