Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he hopes peace negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States will meet in Abu Dhabi between 6 and 10 November to discuss ways to end the war.
Zelensky said Kyiv wanted European countries to be involved in the negotiations, stressing the need for unity among Ukraine’s allies and increased pressure on Moscow to bring an end to the conflict.
The proposed meeting comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts to negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, although a firm date for the talks has yet to be confirmed.
Shweta Sharma29 October 2026 12:00
Vladimir Putin met the president of Mozambique Daniel Chapo this week, after the latter travelled to Moscow for a summit involving Russia and several African nations.
The talks themselves didn’t make too many international headlines, but a picture on Chapo’s social media feed did catch the eye – at 6 ft 8 and generally considered the tallest national leader in the world, Chapo can be seen towering over a 5ft 7 Putin.
Putin himself seems to be laughing in the image – possibly at the size mismatch between the pair – and commentators online have added their own riffs, with some digitally altering the image to make Putin even smaller, while another reimagines them as Gandalf and Frodo from the Lord of the Rings.
Adam Withnall29 October 2026 11:30
A Russian drone attack has killed 13 people at the main railway station in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, hitting a platform crowded with people boarding a train, officials said.
Ukrainian media reports indicated that two trains were struck in the attack.
The state rail company, Ukrzaliznytsia, said a jet-powered drone had hit a platform where a commuter train was preparing to depart for the nearby southern city of Zaporizhzhia.
Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said in a post on Telegram that at least five more people were wounded.
“Despite a warning of heightened danger, people were on the platform,” Ukrzaliznytsia said, adding that rescuers were on the scene.
“Many people were killed. Lots were injured,” Dnipro mayor Borys Filatov wrote on Telegram.
Adam Withnall29 October 2026 11:09
Shweta Sharma29 October 2026 11:00
Police have arrested two Belarusian nationals suspected of planning sabotage attacks in southern Germany, the Munich General Prosecutor’s Office said on Wednesday, with Der Spiegel magazine reporting they were working on behalf of Russia.
The suspects allegedly planned to set fire to a building or critical infrastructure facility in the Nuremberg area, the prosecutor’s office told Reuters.
It added that the suspects – two men, aged 39 and 50 – had acted on behalf of a foreign government or organisation, and for payment. They have been in custody since 7 October. It did not name the country they are suspected of working for.
Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations made by Germany and others of carrying out sabotage attacks.
Der Spiegel reported that Romanian authorities are also investigating the two men for suspected involvement in an arson attack on an industrial park in the Romanian city of Brasov on the night of 14 September, the site of a defence firm making grenade launchers and ammunition.
Romanian organised crime prosecutors have said they are seeking the extradition of the two suspects apprehended in Germany and one Ukrainian detained in Poland, who were all suspected of involvement in the arson case.
Shweta Sharma29 October 2026 10:00
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he hopes peace negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States will meet in Abu Dhabi between 6 and 10 November to discuss ways to end the war.
Zelensky said Kyiv wanted European countries to be involved in the negotiations, stressing the need for unity among Ukraine’s allies and increased pressure on Moscow to bring an end to the conflict.
The proposed meeting comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts to negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, although a firm date for the talks has yet to be confirmed.
Shweta Sharma29 October 2026 10:00
The Netherlands will supply Ukraine with €500 million ($556 million) in military support this winter, Dutch prime minister Rob Jetten said on Wednesday.
The support will be used to supply drones and other material to strengthen Ukraine’s defence, he said after a meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in The Hague.
Earlier on Wednesday, ahead of Zelenskiy’s visit, the Dutch government announced it would give Ukraine €1.2 billion in non-military support in the next three years.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten shake hands during a press conference at the Catshuis in The Hague (Reuters)
The government pledged €380 million to help reconstruction in Ukraine next year and around €410 million in both 2028 and 2029.
Part of the money will be used for funds that support Dutch companies willing to invest in the rebuilding of Ukraine, the government said.
Other support is intended for urgent repairs of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and the supply of machines to Ukrainian industry.
Shweta Sharma29 October 2026 09:00
President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed details of Operation Veles, conducted near Kupiansk, a city in the northeastern Kharkiv region recaptured by Ukrainian forces in late 2022, which has since remained under constant Russian pressure.
“It is a strong operation, well planned and technology-driven,” he said. “The Russians tried to use underground gas pipelines to advance past our positions. Our fighters turned this tactic against the Russians and used the underground infrastructure against the occupiers with extraordinary success.”
Shweta Sharma29 October 2026 09:00
Shweta Sharma29 October 2026 08:00
A US-brokered local ceasefire in southern Ukraine held for a second consecutive day on Wednesday, raising hopes that humanitarian aid could reach thousands of civilians trapped in Russian-occupied territory.
An estimated 2,000 people remain stranded in Oleshky, in the Kherson region, amid severe shortages of food and medical supplies. Reports suggest some residents have been reduced to eating weeds to survive.
Human rights ombudsmen from both Russia and Ukraine confirmed that the ceasefire, which took effect early on Tuesday, remained intact.
“30 hours of the ceasefire in Oleshky have passed without a single incident,” Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said.
Russia Ukraine War (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
His Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, issued a similar statement, saying no violations had been recorded.
Lubinets said demining operations were underway along access routes to allow the safe delivery of humanitarian supplies and the evacuation of residents wishing to leave.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said there had been “no massive attacks” on the regional capital, Kherson, since the ceasefire began.
“We’re happy even when we have two, three days for these people. You know, some ceasefire is great, you can see them in the streets,” he told reporters in The Hague.
Zelensky said the truce would be a “huge success” if the planned evacuation of civilians from Oleshky went ahead.
Shweta Sharma29 October 2026 07:00