Russia fires 21 ballistic missiles at Kyiv hours after agreeing to resume talks

Ukraine said Russia launched 21 ballistic missiles at Kyiv in three waves from Wednesday evening into Thursday, and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said three of them carried cluster munitions. Ukrainian officials reported deaths and injuries in the capital and in several other regions. Russia said it downed hundreds of Ukrainian drones launched toward Moscow overnight.

The strikes came a day after Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin had agreed in principle to resume three-way talks with the US and Ukraine after Nov. 10, and Zelenskiy said he hoped talks, the first since February, would happen in early November.

Why it matters: The attack landed as Washington tries to restart negotiations amid a public rift with Kyiv over US sanctions relief for Russia and Ukraine's restricted Starlink access. Officials in Kyiv say Russia is targeting energy infrastructure ahead of winter.