World·since 26 May·1,279 entries
The war in Ukraine and its limits
Ukraine and Russia keep striking each other's energy and shipping targets after Moscow reportedly rejected a mutual halt to energy attacks. The US says Europe will join the next round, but the Kremlin has made no final decision and territorial and security terms are unresolved.
AI text how it is made
This week21 entries
State of playtoday 18:10
Strikes During Diplomacy
Zelensky says Russian negotiators at Abu Dhabi lacked a mandate to accept an energy ceasefire and referred it to Putin. Ukraine reported hits on a petrochemical complex in Nizhnekamsk, a substation in Taganrog and, per its General Staff, an oil facility in the Samara region. Russia's Defence Ministry claims 533 drones were downed overnight on 15 November.
Russian attacks hit at least nine Ukrainian regions, targeting energy, civilian and railway sites, with millions short of power and heating.
Spillover Near NATO
Drones struck three commercial ships near Romania's Sulina canal, and Romanian jets scrambled twice. Prime Minister Luca Niculescu called the attacks unacceptable and said Romania will work with allies on regional security. Estonia blames Russian military intelligence for an attempted arson at a drone maker near Tallinn.
Talks and Money
The Abu Dhabi round produced a prisoner exchange but no breakthrough. Kushner says Washington is arranging direct Russia-Europe contacts and preparing the agenda for another trilateral round, while the Kremlin says no final decision exists. EU foreign ministers meet on 16 November on Merz's €45 billion proposal, and Trump, Putin and Xi meet in Shenzhen on 19 November.
What comes next
- tomorrowEU foreign ministers meet on Merz's €45 billion Ukraine funding proposal
- in 4 daysTrump, Putin and Xi meet in Shenzhen on APEC sidelines
- in 5 daysUK-EU summit in Brussels
- in 11 daysEuropean Council summit (26-27 November) on Ukraine funding and the budget
Open questions
- Will Putin approve a mutual halt to energy strikes after his delegates said they lacked a mandate at Abu Dhabi?
- How will Ukraine's 2027 funding gap, projected at about €70 billion, be covered beyond the €90 billion loan?
Who is who8
Volodymyr Zelenskyy President of Ukraine
Says Russian negotiators at Abu Dhabi lacked a mandate for an energy ceasefire and that US envoys tied Donbas withdrawal to a NATO path, which Washington has not publicly confirmed.
15 Nov
Donald Trump US President
Announced an energy ceasefire on 11 October with no agreed terms, and will meet Putin and Xi in Shenzhen on 19 November with Ukraine not expected on the agenda.
14 Nov
Vladimir Putin Russian President
US envoys say he accepted a wider round with Europeans, but the Kremlin says no decision is made; Russian delegates referred the energy halt to him.
14 Nov
Vladimir Medinsky Kremlin aide and head of Russia's delegation
Announced a large prisoner exchange with details to follow and rules out any territorial exchange with Ukraine.
13 Nov
Jared Kushner US envoy
Says a settlement needs European involvement, security guarantees and postwar arrangements, and that both sides agreed to bring Europeans into the next round.
15 Nov
Dmitry Peskov Kremlin spokesman
Says no decision has been made on a wider format and ties it to European intentions and a designated negotiator.
13 Nov
Friedrich Merz German Chancellor
Wants the EU to provide about €45 billion of Ukraine's projected €70 billion 2027 gap, with all member states contributing; EU foreign ministers take it up on 16 November.
15 Nov
Luca Niculescu Prime Minister of Romania
Called the drone attacks on three commercial ships near the Sulina canal unacceptable and pledged to work with NATO allies.
15 Nov
Promises13
United Stateskept
US officials will travel to Moscow to seek Putin's approval for European representatives in later talks and to set a date for the next meeting.
11 Nov · politico.eu
White Housekept
Russia and Ukraine will observe a local ceasefire in occupied Oleshky for aid and a civilian evacuation corridor.
23 Oct · due 29 Oct · reuters.com
Vladimir Putinkept
Putin will resume trilateral negotiations with Ukraine and the United States.
21 Oct · due 10 Nov · apnews.com
Volodymyr Zelenskyyunclear
Zelenskyy will organise elections during a 60-day ceasefire.
11 Oct · rferl.org
Volodymyr Zelenskyybroken
Ukraine will stop strikes on Russian refineries if Moscow ends attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, with real guarantees.
11 Oct · rferl.org
Russia and Ukraineopen
Russia and Ukraine will carry out a large prisoner exchange, with details to be announced later.
11 Nov · pollar.news
Marcin Józefaciukopen
Józefaciuk will ask President Nawrocki to veto the national sanctions bill passed by the Sejm.
6 Nov · pollar.news
Eleven EU countriesopen
Eleven EU countries will release 42.6 million barrels of strategic oil stocks, 20.5 million of them diesel, by end-January 2027.
29 Oct · due 31 Jan 2027 · lemonde.fr
Lithuaniaopen
Lithuania will introduce general conscription for men from 2032, subject to parliament's approval.
29 Oct · from 2032 · pollar.news
Volodymyr Zelenskyyopen
Ukraine would consider a 30-day halt to refinery strikes if Washington supplies Patriot interceptors.
20 Oct · afp.com
European Councilopen
The Commission will present concrete proposals on Ukraine's additional 2027 financing needs.
16 Oct · by end of 2026 · report.az
Brian Fitzpatrickopen
Fitzpatrick will introduce a House bill blocking Russian oil purchases.
10 Oct · rferl.org
Germanyopen
Germany will continue pursuing sanctions against Russia despite the US temporary suspension of restrictions on Russian diesel.
10 Oct · dw.com
Chronicle1,279 entries since 26 May
9–15 November21 entries
Drones struck three commercial ships in the Black Sea near Romania's Sulina canal, Prime Minister Luca Niculescu said, and Romanian fighter jets scrambled twice. Reuters reported the incident on 15 November; Niculescu called the attacks unacceptable and pledged work with NATO allies.
The White House said Trump, Putin and Xi will meet on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen on 19 November. A US official said nuclear arms and Iran are expected topics, not Ukraine, as Washington runs separate talks with Kyiv and Moscow.
Zelensky said Russia did not accept a mutual halt to attacks on energy infrastructure, as the Abu Dhabi talks ended without a breakthrough. He said Russian delegates lacked a mandate and referred the matter to Putin.
Zelensky told journalists on 13 November that the US offered Ukraine NATO membership in exchange for withdrawing from Donbas. He spoke as the Kremlin revives 2021 draft treaties that would roll NATO back from its eastern members.
The Kremlin said it has made no decision on widening the next Ukraine negotiating round, after US envoys said Putin agreed. Moscow ties any expanded format to European intentions and a designated European negotiator.
Ukraine launched almost 1,200 drones at Russian targets overnight into 13 November, AP reported, and Russia's Defence Ministry said it intercepted 1,198. A regional official said four people died in a strike on an industrial zone in the Volgograd region.
Russia and Ukraine agreed to include European partners in their next negotiating round, US envoy Jared Kushner announced following meetings in Moscow and Dublin. The talks aim to address a large prisoner swap, postwar security, and territorial issues.
Estonia confirmed an explosion aboard the Russian corvette Naro-Fominsk near Gogland island on 11 November. Finland detected the hit without naming a culprit, while Ukraine claimed a drone strike on the vessel in the Baltic.
Ukraine's Special Operations Forces said drones hit the Omsk Oil Refinery on 11 November, almost 3,000 kilometres from Ukraine. Officials said it had halted processing after a July strike and was under repair.
Washington has asked Moscow for a new proposal on European security, Axios reported on 11 November. Envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were due to raise it with Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 12 November.
Chief Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on 11 November that Moscow sees no possibility of exchanging territory with Ukraine, TASS reported via Reuters. The stance leaves the territorial dispute, which US mediators cited as unresolved, untouched by the prisoner deal.
US officials will travel to Moscow to seek Vladimir Putin's approval for European representatives to join later rounds of Ukraine negotiations, Politico Europe reported. Washington also wants to set a date for the next meeting, after Europe was left without a formal seat in Abu Dhabi.
Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinski said on 11 November, after two days of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi, that the sides agreed a new large-scale prisoner exchange. Details are to be announced later; no agreement was reported on energy ceasefire terms or territory.
Russia's FSB announced on 11 November that it detained two people accused of gathering information on military facilities for Polish intelligence. Interfax reported that seven Polish citizens and three Russian citizens were also officially warned.
A Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at the Ust-Luga port and cut power to a station, Leningrad governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said on 11 November. Russian authorities reported 146 drones shot down over the region, which hosts major oil-export terminals.
Drones entering from Belarus triggered yellow, then red, alerts across much of central and northern Lithuania late on 10 November. Authorities said none were shot down, and Polish forces had not confirmed that an object entered Polish territory. NATO jets were scrambled.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote on 10 November that the EU should provide about €45 billion toward a projected €70 billion Ukrainian financing gap for 2027. Hungary and Slovakia oppose linking the EU budget to the Ukraine loan, and Fico called the German position blackmail.
Poland's Internal Security Agency detained two Ukrainian men in Minsk Mazowiecki on 3 November, and prosecutors charged them with espionage and sabotage on 4 November. A court ordered three months of pretrial detention. The arrests were made public on 10 November.
Moscow said no European officials will take part in the Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi, contradicting France's foreign minister, who had said a French delegation would attend. Reuters and Politico report European officials are travelling regardless.
Zelensky said on 9 November that the EU agreed to activate a special mechanism to speed financing of repairs to Ukraine's power grid after fresh Russian strikes on substations. The reports gave no financial value or implementation timetable.
Fires and explosions were reported at the KINEF refinery in Kirishi after an overnight Ukrainian drone attack. Leningrad Oblast governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said 113 drones were shot down over the region, as Abu Dhabi talks were due to open.
2–8 November22 entries
Russian attacks on energy infrastructure on 8 November cut power to more than 600,000 people in Dnipropetrovsk region and nearly 250,000 customers in Kharkiv region, Ukrainian authorities and DTEK said, two days before the Abu Dhabi talks.
The US State Department approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine for an estimated $2.1 billion, according to a Reuters-based report. No delivery date is stated. Zelensky had just described a significant interceptor shortage after intercepting four of 36 ballistic missiles.
Russia launched a missile attack on Kyiv on 7 November, with debris damaging a residential building, Reuters reported. Zelensky said Moscow was preparing strikes on energy sites, bridges and other infrastructure, three days before the Abu Dhabi talks.
The Sejm approved the government's national sanctions bill on 6 November by 240 votes to 202. Independent MP Marcin Józefaciuk says he voted for it by mistake and will ask President Karol Nawrocki to veto it.
Germany, Ukraine and the Kremlin each said Europe should take part in the US-Ukraine-Russia round in Abu Dhabi on 10-11 November, but no European delegation has a seat so far, while Trump touts a big deal with Russia.
Russian attacks on energy infrastructure caused fresh outages on 6 November in Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Kharkiv and Chernihiv regions, Ukraine's deputy energy minister said, with restrictions kept in place while repairs proceed.
The European Commission transferred €4.36 billion to Ukraine on 5 November: €3.7 billion in budget support and €658 million for defence procurement. It said €25.2 billion in EU financial support remains available for the rest of 2026.
More than 200 Ukrainian drones caused fires and power cuts in Ryazan overnight into 5 November, governor Pavel Malkov said. Footage points to a fire at the Rosneft refinery, which officials have not confirmed.
Poland's Internal Security Agency detained six people, five Poles and a 37-year-old Russian woman, over alleged supplies of military materials to Russia. Four were placed in temporary custody on espionage charges.
Zelensky held a roughly 90-minute call with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on 4 November, presenting Ukraine's proposals for Abu Dhabi and naming air defence, including more Patriot interceptors, as a priority. Washington called his engagement constructive.
Brussels opposed a proposal attributed to American negotiators to restart European imports of Russian gas through a pipeline via Ukraine, Politico reported on 4 November. The idea has added to European frustration with the US-led diplomatic approach ahead of the Abu Dhabi talks.
Drones struck an Ozon logistics centre in Adygeysk overnight into 4 November, setting a warehouse on fire. The company said all employees were evacuated and nobody was hurt.
A Russian drone attack hit a substation important to the Khmelnytskyi nuclear plant, about 190 km from the Polish border, Ukraine's energy minister said. Kyiv halted tram and trolleybus services on the evening of 3 November after the overnight strike on the energy system.
Ukraine's central bank cut its 2026 forecast from 1.8% growth to a 0.4% contraction, citing Russian attacks on energy, rail and export routes and higher global energy prices, AP reported on 3 November. Steel output has stopped in places and grain shipments are disrupted.
Ukrainian drones targeted the Slavneft-YANOS refinery in Yaroslavl overnight into 3 November, with governor Mikhail Yevrayev reporting 124 drones and fires at the plant. At least four large Russian refineries have been struck since 30 October.
The European Commission will host Ukraine, France, Germany, the UK, NATO and the World Bank on 4 November to discuss postwar reconstruction. US attendance is unconfirmed. The meeting precedes the Abu Dhabi talks on 10-11 November.
Russian ballistic missiles and guided bombs hit a hospital in Kharkiv's Nemyshlianskyi district, wounding 73, while Russia's Defence Ministry claimed a massive strike on Ukrainian energy and Odesa port sites.
The Kremlin confirmed on 3 November that presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky will head Russia's delegation to US-mediated talks with Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on 10-11 November. Witkoff said the agenda covers security arrangements, de-escalation and humanitarian issues.
Exercise Koalicja will run from 9 to 22 November near Nowa Dęba in southeastern Poland, with about 3,000 personnel from 12 countries rehearsing how a Multinational Force Ukraine would move and be supplied after a ceasefire. The force would have no offensive role.
Ukrainian officials said repeated Russian strikes on a school serving as a humanitarian aid centre in Zaporizhzhia killed 26 people on 2 November, hours after the Oleshky truce expired. Earlier tallies cited 24 dead. Russia has not confirmed the account.
The UK Ministry of Defence said the Russian intelligence ship Viktor Leonov monitored NATO warships during the Strike Warrior exercise off Scotland. Royal Navy Merlin helicopters were sent to follow the vessel.
Reuters, citing the Wall Street Journal and US, European and Ukrainian officials, reported on 2 November that Washington supports a rapid resumption of Russian pipeline-gas sales to Europe through Ukraine as part of winter energy ceasefire discussions. No agreement has been announced.
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