Wars 2022 02/24 Monitoring Russian and Ukraine War.

[Saif]

Trump says he wants Zelensky to “make a deal” with Russia

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged Volodymyr Zelensky to make a deal with Russia -- redoubling pressure on the Ukrainian leader even as Moscow grinds on with the war it launched four years ago. Trump also said he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to release Stephen Hubbard --...

en.prothomalo.com

Trump says he wants Zelensky to “make a deal” with Russia

AFP

Washington, United States

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump BSS

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged Volodymyr Zelensky to make a deal with Russia -- redoubling pressure on the Ukrainian leader even as Moscow grinds on with the war it launched four years ago.

Trump also said he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to release Stephen Hubbard -- an American taken captive by Moscow's forces years earlier in Ukraine -- in a fresh sign of his pivot back to Moscow.

"We want Zelensky to make a deal. He can make a deal. He could have made a deal two years ago when we had our little chat in the Oval Office," Trump told reporters in the same room.

Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelensky had a bruising televised confrontation in the Oval Office in February 2025, shortly after the Ukraine-skeptic US president returned to office.

"He's going to have to want to make a deal, because I don't think his people are going to stand for it any longer," Trump said Tuesday.

Relations between Kyiv and Washington have soured since Trump partially lifted sanctions to strike a diesel-supply deal with Putin and slammed Zelensky as a warmonger for Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries.

The Ukrainian leader met Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo on Tuesday for talks aimed at easing the tensions.

Zelensky hailed the resumption of US intelligence sharing on looming Russian strikes, but insisted Kyiv must be included in any future talks on its fate after meetings with US envoys.

Ukraine has been increasingly alarmed by Trump's return to effectively blaming Kyiv for a failure to end the war that began with Moscow's February 2022 invasion, and by his warm words towards Putin.

Trump indicated that a deal with Russia to free Hubbard could be near.

"I've been talking to President Putin about Hubbard. I've been talking to him at length. I've asked him to release him. Let's see what happens," Trump said in response to a question from an AFP journalist.

"Just stick with me," Trump added. "Just you remember that question a couple of days from now, because I do things that nobody else can do."​

 

[Saif]

Putin agrees to resume 3-way peace talks with Ukraine and US

Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to resume US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine as soon as next month, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, after Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoffin Washington's latest push to stop Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War Two. The negotiations in a grand im

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Putin agrees to resume 3-way peace talks with Ukraine and US

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with US special envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting at the Constantine Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Oct 21, 2026.
Source: Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via REUTERS

Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to resume US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine as soon as next month, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, after Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoffin Washington's latest push to stop Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War Two.

The negotiations in a grand imperial palace in St Petersburg, the ninth time that Witkoff has met Putin in person, began with a goodwill gesture from Russia - the release of Stephen Hubbard, a retired US school teacher held in Russia whom US President Trump had asked the Kremlin chief to release.

Wednesday's encounter unfolded amid concerns in Kyiv and among its allies that the United States is backing away from Ukraine, at times holding back real-time intelligence on Russian attacks and hobbling Ukraine's military communications.

The latest talks also came more than two years since Trump promised in his successful election campaign to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours.

The Kremlin said the new 3-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. The last US-mediated peace talks took place in February before the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran.

The Kremlin was less upbeat, however, about the outcome of talks Witkoff had held a day earlier in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the leaders of Finland and Norway, and European and NATO representatives. Witkoff told Putin the talks had been characterised by "some degree of momentum" and a US official said Ukraine had brought new ideas and proposals.

"These nuances, so to speak, do not entirely satisfy us," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters after the St Petersburg meeting - which lasted nearly three hours.

Possible Meeting Between Trump, Putin And XI

Ukraine and Russia remain far apart when it comes to the terms of any possible peace deal, though Trump has recently intensified pressure on Ukraine to strike some kind of a deal. He said on Tuesday it was time for Ukraine to end the war or face "a very bad thing."

Putin also used Wednesday's talks to offer to help Trump deal with Iran, saying Russia had a decades-long relationship with Tehran which it has repeatedly offered to leverage to address US concerns about Iran's nuclear programme. Putin told Witkoff it was possible and necessary to get a deal with Tehran, the Kremlin said.

Russia could also supply vast quantities of fertiliser to the United States to help US farmers, the Russian president told Witkoff.

A potential meeting in China next month with Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping was also discussed. The Kremlin said Beijing was already preparing what it said would be the first meeting of its kind in history.

'New Ideas'

Putin has shown few signs of compromising on his central war aims, which include full Russian control of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, no NATO membership for Kyiv, and an overall peace deal rather than a temporary ceasefire.

Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's special investment envoy, was also present at the talks with Witkoff and the Kremlin said that major joint economic projects had been discussed, including some that were close to being realised.

Witkoff said he had brought some documents with him containing various ideas for a potential peace deal for Putin to review, and that Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, also wanted to convey some ideas to Putin. Kushner later joined the meeting remotely by phone.

Zelensky said he hoped to discuss key issues on how to end the war during a trilateral meeting with Putin and Trump.

The Kremlin has repeatedly said that any Putin-Zelensky meeting would need to be painstakingly prepared in advance by aides to make it worthwhile.

Fraying US-Ukraine Ties

US-Ukraine ties have deteriorated sharply since Trump announced a diesel export deal with Russia earlier this month to help lower prices in the United States. High fuel costs since he launched strikes on Iran have hurt his Republicans ahead of November legislative elections.

Since the diesel deal, Ukraine has complained of disruption to some intelligence sharing and to its use of the Starshield military satellite system, though Zelensky said that Tuesday's Oslo meeting had reached an agreement to resolve those issues.

Citing US officials and people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that billionaire Elon Musk had last week ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite service that Ukraine relies on to track Russian ballistic missile strikes.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

Musk has said any such decision is taken by the US military or the president. Trump has said he was not responsible and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated on Wednesday that Washington had not pulled back Kyiv's ability to access Starlink.​

 

[Saif]

https://www.newagebd.net/post/europe/319100/ukraine-receives-252-bodies-in-swap-with-russia

Ukraine receives 252 bodies in swap with Russia
Agence France-Presse . Kyiv, Ukraine

Ukraine has received the bodies of 252 people in an exchange of war dead with Russia, Ukrainian authorities said on Thursday.

Russia received 25 bodies in return, Russian lawmaker Shamsail Saraliev was quoted as saying by the RBC news outlet.

The exchange of prisoners of war and fallen soldiers is one of the few areas of cooperation between the warring sides.

‘As a result of repatriation measures, the bodies of 252 deceased have been returned to Ukraine,’ said Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

Police and other officials would ‘carry out all the necessary procedures to identify the repatriated deceased’, it said.

It thanked the International Committee of the Red Cross for help facilitating the exchange, posting pictures on social media of several large white trailer trucks parked back to back, as workers in white, hooded jumpsuits.

The I Want to Live foundation, which is affiliated with Ukraine’s Intelligence Directorate and involved in managing Russia’s prisoners of war, meanwhile said ‘the remains of Russian servicemen were repatriated’.

Among them was the body of a Sri Lankan citizen, the organisation said, adding that he was sent to Russia since he was considered under international law as a combatant in the Russian army.

The exchanges of remains between the two sides take place regularly.

Earlier this month, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov estimated that more than 26,000 bodies and human remains had been repatriated to Ukraine through exchange operations.

Most of them are still awaiting identification.

According to official announcements from the two sides, Ukraine has received the remains of 5,300 people since the start of this year alone, while Russia has received fewer than 300.

The war, Europe’s worst conflict since World War II, has claimed tens of thousands of lives since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.​

 

[Saif]

https://www.newagebd.net/post/europe/319266/ukraine-russia-swap-270-pows-each

Ukraine, Russia swap 270 POWs each

AFP, Kyiv

Russian prisoners of war

Ukraine and Russia have each exchanged 270 prisoners of war, both sides said on Friday, in one of the few areas of cooperation between the warring sides.

Among the Ukrainians freed were five people presumed to have been killed in an attack on a prison in occupied east Ukraine in 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

‘270 of our people are home. This is a very important achievement,’ Zelensky said on social media.

Russia’s defence ministry also confirmed the swap, saying that ‘270 Russian service members have been returned.’ Zelensky posted images of some of the Ukrainians freed, many with shaved heads and draped in Ukrainian flags. Both Moscow and Kyiv have exchanged thousands of captive soldiers since Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive in 2022.

Ukrainian police said Friday they had detained a 17-year-old girl suspected of helping Russia’s security services to poison Ukrainian soldiers and that two had died. Ukraine and Russia have throughout their war since 2022 accused each other of recruiting minors for sabotage acts including poisoning.

The girl, who was not named, is suspected of having packaged deadly drugs and sending them to Ukrainian soldiers she contacted by Telegram, said a police statement.​

 

[Saif]

Melania Trump helps forge a ceasefire deal in a Russian-occupied Ukrainian city, White House says

First lady Melania Trump has brokered an upcoming ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the war-ravaged Ukrainian city of Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians, the White House announced on Friday. The localized ceasefire is set to begin on Oct. 29, with the Ameri

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Melania Trump helps forge a ceasefire deal in a Russian-occupied Ukrainian city, White House says

First lady Melania Trump has brokered an upcoming ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the war-ravaged Ukrainian city of Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians, the White House announced on Friday.

The localized ceasefire is set to begin on Oct. 29, with the American first lady saying in a news release that the situation there is "on the brink of disaster."

The White House said Melania Trump had initiated the discussions and that she and a representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the ceasefire.

Ukraine's lead negotiator for the agreement thanked Melania Trump for her involvement and said the deal would be "extremely challenging to implement."

"Under our agreement: first a ceasefire will be put in place; second, humanitarian aid will be delivered to Oleshky; and third, civilians will be allowed to move freely out of Oleshky," Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, said in a video message posted online. "The operation will be carried out gradually and is extremely challenging to implement. I will therefore keep Ukrainian society informed and share the results of the operation."

Russia's chief of the general staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, said Russian forces "will cease fire on the Kherson axis" starting at 4 a.m. Tuesday Moscow time "in connection with the humanitarian operation near Oleshky." The Russian forces will also carry out "engineering reconnaissance" and ensure "safe movement of the humanitarian convoy" into the city, Gerasimov said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said Moscow was grateful to the first lady and that effort was discussed during the latest call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump, he said.

Peskov said "those who want to leave it would be able to do so." He would not say whether those who evacuate will be taken to Russia- or Ukraine-held territory. He also demurred when asked how long the evacuation will last, saying only it would likely take several days.

Saving children is first lady's focus, president says

Melania Trump has made helping children in conflict one of her signature issues and hosted a U.N. Security Council meeting on the issue earlier this year. She has written Putin to work on efforts to reunite families with children who have been displaced by the war.

"What she wants to do is save children, and that's her focus," the president said of the first lady during a question-and-answer exchange with journalists in Washington.

Tensions between Washington and Kyiv are rising

The development comes as tensions have increased to new highs between the Trump administration and Ukraine's government. Kyiv has faced restrictions on the satellite internet system that it relies on to knock down Russian attacks, with Trump and other top U.S. officials sending mixed messages about who was responsible for throttling the Elon Musk-made Starshield system.

Trump also has recently waived new Russian sanctions, reached an agreement with Russia to import diesel and pushed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make a deal to end the war that began in February 2022. In renewed efforts to revive the peace process, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Norway this week for talks with Zelenskyy before meeting with Putin in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Zelenskyy did not mention the ceasefire in Oleshky during a remote appearance at the Hudson Institute, a Washington think tank. He did note that American Patriot missile interceptors were still on hold and Starshield and Starlink speed limits were still in place.

He also spoke of the importance of the United States to renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war, including a possible joint meeting with Trump and Putin.

Dire situation in Oleshky

Food and medical supplies have been scarce for months in Oleshky, which sits on the Dnipro River that separates Ukrainian forces from the city's Russian occupiers. There is no electricity, heat or running water. Roads leading from town are mined and dotted with burned-out cars. Drones buzz overhead.

Once a city of about 24,000 residents, Oleshky was captured by Moscow's forces on the first day of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Its buildings were shelled and burned, and its infrastructure damaged. In June 2023, floodwaters inundated the city after the Kakhovka Dam collapsed from an explosion that an Associated Press investigation found was likely caused by the Russian military. Hundreds of residents were killed.

Those left in the city along Ukraine's southeastern front face death from hunger or disease as another harsh winter looms. Ukraine has appealed repeatedly for a local ceasefire to organize evacuations. Russia, as the occupying power, is obligated by international law to ensure civilians under its control have what they need to survive.

Melania Trump details the mission

Melania Trump said in the White House news release that civilian leaders from Ukraine and Russia will visit Oleshky residents to determine the level of assistance they require.

"Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination," she said. "I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine."

Melania Trump also said "an impartial American media organization" will accompany and document Russian and Ukrainian teams on the ground throughout the process.

"This will play a significant role in ensuring that the wishes of each family are faithfully respected," she said.

The statement did not identify the media organization.​

 

[Saif]

Russia, Ukraine agree on ceasefire in Oleshky from 27 Oct, to hold peace talks next month

Ukraine and Russia said on Friday they had agreed on a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky, brokered through US first lady Melania Trump, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said peace negotiators would meet next month for new talks.

en.prothomalo.com

Russia, Ukraine agree on ceasefire in Oleshky from 27 Oct, to hold peace talks next month

Reuters

A still image taken from an undated drone video released September 12, 2026, shows a destroyed buildings in Oleshky, Kherson Region, Russian-controlled Ukraine. Reuters

Ukraine and Russia said on Friday they had agreed on a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky, brokered through US first lady Melania Trump, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said peace negotiators would meet next month for new talks.

The two sides said the ceasefire would go into effect on 27 October, allowing the delivery of aid and the evacuation of residents through humanitarian corridors.

Amid a US push to organise new talks aimed at ending the 4-1/2-year-old war, Zelenskiy said negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States had agreed to technical-level meetings in the first half of November in Abu Dhabi. A US official later said the three countries may hold their next talks in a couple weeks in Abu Dhabi or Switzerland.

Zelenskiy said he hoped a meeting of the countries' leaders would follow.

Previous rounds of talks headed by the United States stalled in February ⁠with no significant progress towards ending the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War Two. Russia continues to demand Ukraine cede all of the eastern Donbas region, including territory Russia has not occupied militarily, while Kyiv rejects any notion of giving up land it currently holds.

The latest peace efforts follow a rift between Washington and Kyiv in recent weeks and a series of moves by US President Donald Trump seen as favouring Russia.

A major source of friction was limitations placed on SpaceX's Starlink communication system that Ukraine uses to protect against incoming attacks. Trump said on Friday that if Ukraine still faced a problem with the system, he would straighten it out and, if necessary, speak about the matter to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

Another contentious point was Trump's announcement of a deal to allow Russia to provide diesel for the US and global markets, an agreement denounced by Ukraine and meant to keep prices down as the president's Republicans contest US midterm elections.

On Friday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the first three tankers with Russian diesel were on their way to North America.

In the town of Oleshky, occupied by Russian forces since February 2022, residents have reported that they faced a deepening food crisis.

"Both nations agreed to temporarily stop all military action in Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid to enter and to prepare a civilian evacuation through a designated safe passageway," the White House said in a statement.

The chief of staff of Russian forces, Valery Gerasimov, said on the Defence Ministry's Telegram channel that Russian troops would halt fire from 4 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) on October 27 to allow for the humanitarian operation to start.

Ukraine's General Staff issued a statement agreeing to observe the ceasefire from the same time and pledging to "do everything possible to help Oleshky's residents." Ukraine says it has already used drones twice to send food into the town.

Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, also said the ceasefire would go into effect on October 27 and told Reuters the operation would involve demining roads to the town, deliveries of food and evacuations of civilians.

Melania trump's diplomatic efforts

Both sides said Melania Trump played an important role in coordinating the agreement. The first lady has been active in trying to get Ukrainian children seized by Russia during the war returned to their families.

"Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster," she said in a statement.

"Oleshky's remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food and clean water."

Pope Leo had spoken in the past week both to Zelenskiy and to Russian President Vladimir Putin about conditions in Oleshky.

The White House said Oleshky, located across the Dnipro River from the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson, had 1,700 to 2,000 residents remaining, down from 24,000 before the war.

US envoys

Zelenskiy's comments on resuming peace talks followed a meeting with US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff in Norway early this week and a subsequent meeting between Witkoff and Putin in St Petersburg.

Zelenskiy said he spoke on Friday with Witkoff and US envoy Jared Kushner. He said any peace agreement would need strong security guarantees for Ukraine and funding for 10 years to maintain the Ukrainian army.

"The plan is to meet in the first half of November, and as early as possible, of course," Zelenskiy told the Hudson Institute think tank via a video link. He said much would depend on Russia, noting that a similar meeting expected this month had not materialised.

Zelenskiy spoke of the importance of continued diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire and end the war, now in its fifth year, adding that Europe should also be involved in the talks.

Ukrainian officials said on Friday that speed restrictions on Starlink systems in Ukraine remained in place, despite Trump's previous statement that the services had been fully restored.

Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday that he had not spoken to Musk about the restrictions but would do so if required.

"If there is a problem, I'll get it straightened out," he said. The caps have been in place since October 13.

Ukraine and Russia also swapped 270 servicemen each in a prisoner exchange on Friday, the Russian Defence Ministry said. Zelenskiy described the swap, the first since August, as a "very important result."

Ukraine's acting prosecutor, Anton Kovalskyi, writing on Telegram, said more than 19,000 Ukrainian civilians, including 762 children, had been killed since Russia launched its full-scale war more than four years ago.​

 

[Saif]

https://www.newagebd.net/post/middle-east/319998/local-ukraine-truce-holds-for-2nd-day

Local Ukraine truce holds for 2nd day

Agence France-Presse . Kyiv, Ukraine

A Ukrainian firefighter extinguishes a blaze at the site of a Russian drone strike in Kharkiv on Wednesday, amid the Russian attack of Ukraine. | AFP photo.

A US-brokered local ceasefire in southern Ukraine was holding for a second day, both sides said on Wednesday, as hopes grew that vital aid would be able to reach stranded residents.

Locals in the city of Oleshky, under Russian occupation in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, have faced food, water and medicine shortages for months, caught in the crossfire between both sides.

Some of the estimated 2,000 still there — out of the pre-war population of 24,000 — had resorted to hunting and eating pigeons, former residents who are still in touch with those in the city said.

The human rights ombudsmen of both Russia and Ukraine said Wednesday that the truce — which came into effect early Tuesday morning — was still holding.

‘30 hours of the ceasefire in Oleshky have passed without a single incident,’ said Ukraine’s Dmytro Lubinets.

‘No incidents have been recorded in the 30 hours of the ceasefire in Oleshky,’ Russia’s Yana Lantratova said in a similarly worded statement.

The ceasefire will be guaranteed by ‘the physical presence of both ombudsmen: Ukrainian and Russian’ on the ground, Lubinets’s office told journalists.

The planned truce was announced by US First Lady Melania Trump after months of mounting international concern over the fate of residents in the city.

It remains unclear how many people will choose to leave, or what route they will have to take.

Crossing the frontline — marked by the Dnipro river — is all but impossible, and Russian-installed officials have indicated they could have to travel through Russian-occupied Crimea.

Russian officials said most of those who wanted to flee had already done so.

A senior Ukrainian official also said that many people in the city wanted to stay, so the ceasefire operation was designed to allow humanitarian supplies into the city.

Oleshky was captured by Russian forces at the start of their 2022 invasion.

Lubinets said the truce was also bringing respite for the regional capital of Kherson, where around 280,000 people lived before the invasion.

‘Kherson, which had been under constant shelling, has literally come back to life. There are more people on the streets, and urban life has picked up,’ Lubinets wrote on social media.

‘People are going outside without fear, taking walks and enjoying the autumn sunshine,’ he added.

He posted pictures of people selling fruit under anti-drone nets on the street and municipal workers mowing lawns amid buildings reduced to rubble.

The city lies on the Dnipro river, directly across from Russian forces on the opposite bank, and has been heavily bombarded throughout the war.

It was occupied by Russian forces at the start of the 2022 invasion, before Ukraine retook it in a counter-offensive later that year.

Regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram on Wednesday morning that ‘no strikes or hits on civilian or critical infrastructure facilities were recorded’ over the past 24 hours.

David Arakhamia, a Ukrainian lawmaker who took part in peace negotiations with Russia in 2022, described the ceasefire as the ‘biggest de-escalation since 2022’.

Previous short-lived truces in the war — such as to mark Orthodox Easter — have seen drop-offs in aerial attacks but been marred by accusations of widespread violations by both sides.​