The president made the comment in an interview with ABC News two days after U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff praised Vladimir Putin as "a humanitarian." Hours later, Russia struck Kyiv with ballistic missiles and cluster munitions.
Speaking at the Hudson Institute on Friday, Oct. 23, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Starlink and Starshield restrictions remain in place, despite US President Donald Trump’s earlier claims that service was restored. Zelensky also said that agreed deliveries of interceptor missiles, used to deter Russian ballistic missiles, remain delayed.
Trilateral meetings with Russia and the US are still expected to be held in the first half of November, Zelensky said, following reports from senior US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
According to an official report on Monday, Oct. 19, Germany’s armed forces are overhauling how they train their combat medics, evacuate casualties and protect field hospitals. The move came after a Bundeswehr medical delegation studied battlefield care in Kyiv and Dnipro, where Ukrainian doctors reportedly told the team that drones now cause about 90% of combat wounds.
According to the doctors, roughly 100,000 soldiers have undergone amputations since the beginning of the full-scale war in 2022. Meanwhile, on Oct. 16, Ukraine approved a pilot project to deliver medicine, medical devices, blood samples and donor organs between hospitals through drones to shorten delivery times.
The agency says Moscow aims to weaken European support for Kyiv by making Russian attacks appear to be the work of Ukraine’s military.
U.S. President Donald Trump may be considering further sanctions relief for Russia following his recent diesel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, several Ukrainian and U.S. officials familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent.The potential move would fit an approach in which the Trump administration offers
Kyiv Independent journalists Jimmy Rushton and Danylo Mokryk argue that Donald Trump’s pressure on Kyiv is backfiring — strengthening support for Volodymyr Zelensky while undermining trust in the United States.
Russia’s territorial gains this year are effectively nil as it heads into trilateral talks with Ukraine, US.
Ukraine’s defense ministry says satellite connectivity losses at speeds of 161 kph are still in place, despite US President Donald Trump’s claim that SpaceX owner Elon Musk restored the service. SpaceX and the White House have blamed one another for the restrictions, which followed the US diesel deal with Russia, as Washington pressured Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian refineries without securing a bilateral ceasefire on Ukraine’s energy grid.
Vienna steps up crackdown on Moscow’s spies after years of leniency that frustrated Kyiv and other European capitals
As Russian attacks threaten Kyiv’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter, residents share their thoughts about power cuts, heating shortages and the city’s preparedness. While some are preparing to leave, most say they intend to stay but question whether the authorities are doing enough to protect the capital.
The ministers explored options for urgently increasing Ukraine’s missile stocks, an area in which Kyiv is counting on Norway’s support....
This autumn, as Russia escalated its total-war-style strike campaign against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and economy, and relations between Kyiv and Washington hit an all-time low, the daily battles along Ukraine’s vast battlefield have faded into the background of the information space.Despite the reduced attention in
President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine is negotiating Article 5-style security guarantees with Washington that would require US congressional approval. Rejecting a repeat of the failed Budapest Memorandum, he calls for a comprehensive defense framework combining American commitments, NATO membership, European support and a strong Ukrainian military.
Russian forces launched a massive drone attack on Sumy early Friday, Oct. 23, injuring at least two civilians and damaging residential areas. The assault followed deadly strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions as Moscow signaled readiness for renewed peace negotiations while continuing its bombardment.
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Speaking to reporters before departing for a rally in North Platte, Nebraska on Thursday, Oct. 22, US Vice President JD Vance said that the dispute over Ukraine’s Starlink restrictions should not fall on SpaceX CEO Elon Musk himself, framing the issue as a matter of US policy on the war.
He called Europe’s reliance on the company ironic, while also noting that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to negotiate after senior US envoy Steve Witkoff’s talks this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Got an opinion on anything you've read in the Kyiv Independent? Send it to letters@kyivindependent.com — your letter may appear in our Letters section. Mark Cary, United States member I vividly remember when the Soviet Union collapsed. I was in my second year in college studying
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Thursday, Oct. 22 that he signed seven agreements with Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, including deals to expand Kyiv’s use of Finnish satellite capabilities through Nokia and ICEYE. The total value of the agreements amount to over €300 million (roughly $337 million), as Ukraine and Europe weigh alternatives to Starlink that disrupted Ukrainian drone operations without prior warning.
Russia attacked Kyiv’s historic center with an Iskander ballistic missile carrying a K5 cluster warhead, presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov said. He described a weapon designed to disperse 58 explosive elements over a wide area and accused Moscow of targeting civilians. The statement followed an overnight barrage that killed one person and injured at least 24 across the capital.
Before that, US officials had cut Kyiv off from US intelligence and lowered a speed cap on Starlink to pressure Ukraine.
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Hours after a Kremlin aide said Russia was ready in principle for new talks, prosecutors say Russia destroyed 13 homes in one Kyiv district.
"The main purpose of the visit is to show Finland's strong support for Ukraine as the war of aggression continues and the country prepares for the winter," the Finnish government said.
Militarnyi names the systems: Buk and S-300. Astra matched video of the explosion to the 75th Arsenal in Serpukhov.
Russia launched 21 ballistic missile strikes in three waves against Kyiv following the latest negotiations, Zelensky said. He called for stronger air defenses, faster missile deliveries and tougher sanctions, arguing that Russia must face real pressure to end the killing.
During previous repatriations, Russia at times returned the bodies of its own soldiers to Kyiv, with Ukrainian officials alleging the practice may have been aimed at avoiding compensation payments to Russian families or reflected a "negligent attitude toward their own people."
He wrote about the attack on social media on Thursday, 22 October, commenting on the consequences of the aggressor state’s...
Donald Trump’s envoy met Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo before heading to St Petersburg in diplomatic push
Kyiv has come under a fresh Russian missile attack, just hours after Moscow signalled it was ready to resume peace talks