Putin says Russia is ready to resume Ukraine-US peace talks but rejects 'short ceasefire' amid deadly attacks

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow was prepared to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States, but stressed that discussions should focus on security arrangements under a final peace agreement rather than a temporary ceasefire. "The goal of these discussions will be to address the issue of ensuring security for both Ukraine and Russia... within the framework of a final agreement, not after some kind of short pause in fighting," Putin told a reporter from state TV.

Meanwhile, Ukraine accused Russia on Thursday of showing no change in its approach to the war after launching a wave of ballistic missile attacks shortly after US envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin to discuss restarting peace negotiations. Air raid sirens sounded throughout the night and into the day in Kyiv. City authorities said two people were killed and more than 30 others injured in the attacks. In the eastern city of Lozova, two women aged 50 and 60 were killed and dozens of people wounded when an attack struck a crowded market. Separately, two people were injured in Russia’s Moscow region during a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack.

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‘No real change’ in Russia’s position

The attacks followed the Kremlin’s announcement that it was prepared to resume trilateral negotiations with Ukraine and Washington next month. However, Moscow rejected new proposals presented by Witkoff that had been developed in coordination with European countries and Ukraine. Overnight strikes affected 12 Ukrainian regions, damaging residential buildings, energy facilities, shops, cafes and a monastery in Kyiv. The attacks on the Ukrainian capital have intensified as winter approaches.

Meanwhile, authorities ordered all families and children to evacuate the frontline towns of Kramatorsk and neighbouring Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine following a series of attacks that killed dozens of civilians. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the latest wave of attacks began "almost immediately" after Witkoff and Putin concluded hours of talks in Saint Petersburg.

Zelensky also criticised the US envoy’s description of the Russian president as a ‘humanitarian’, arguing that the continued attacks contradicted such characterisations. "This means there has been no real change in its attitude towards everything that is happening," Zelensky said.