Ukraine rejects neutrality as leaders meet in November

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday that Ukraine, the United States, and Russia will hold trilateral meetings in November to restart stalled peace negotiations. The Ukrainian leader stated that the talks are necessary to address territorial disputes, which he believes require decisions at the leadership level rather than in technical committees.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine will not discuss limits on its armed forces or enforced postwar neutrality during these sessions. Kyiv continues to seek entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a goal that has faced hesitation from some member states. The president also renewed his call for a direct meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, arguing that Putin is the sole figure in Moscow capable of making final decisions to end the conflict.

The announcement comes as US support for Ukraine’s air defenses has been fully restored. Zelenskyy confirmed that SpaceX’s Starshield satellite internet system resumed operation at speeds of up to 420 kilometers per hour on Saturday. This service had been throttled earlier in the month amid diplomatic pressure from Washington. The restoration followed a meeting between Zelenskyy and US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo.

Washington has been urging Kyiv to suspend strikes on Russian oil refineries, citing concerns that such attacks drive up global energy prices. Zelenskyy maintained that Ukraine will only halt these strikes if Moscow stops targeting Ukrainian power infrastructure. He also said the US must allow Ukraine to use Starshield over Russia to detect ballistic missile launches or provide additional Patriot missile systems.

The intensity of the exchange increased over the past week, with Russia launching nearly 2,300 strike drones at Ukrainian cities. Zelenskyy reported that Russian forces also fired about 1,600 guided bombs and 48 missiles of various types, including ballistic missiles. He urged Western allies to accelerate the delivery of interceptors to help Ukrainian air defenses cope with the volume of attacks.

Russian military officials reported that their drones struck a cargo vessel bound for the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk overnight and another vessel en route to the port of Odesa on Sunday. The defense ministry said the ships were being used to supply the Ukrainian army. Russian forces also hit a logistics center, a distribution center, and a logistics terminal in the city of Kharkiv overnight. Reuters was unable to independently confirm these reports.

A Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian border city of Belgorod killed three people and injured 13 on Sunday, according to local authorities. Regional governor Alexander Shuvayev stated that the overnight strike damaged 30 apartment buildings. A separate drone strike later in the day in the same city killed another person.

The political context for the war expanded in Europe as Bulgaria held a presidential election on Sunday. The vote resulted in a runoff between incumbent leftist president Iliana Yotova and pro-Western reformist candidate Andrey Gyurov. Yotova opposes military aid to Ukraine and favors dialogue with Russia, while Gyurov has expressed firm support for Kyiv. The election took place amid security concerns following a series of drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea.