Zelensky says high speeds still not restored on US starshield system needed for strikes on front
EU opts for team of diplomats over single representative for Ukraine talks
During a summit in Dublin EU leaders debated whether Europe should be represented by one person or a team of diplomats at the next Ukraine talks, ultimately opting for the latter.
Members of the 27-nation bloc have been concerned that a US-backed process will leave them sidelined and Kyiv vulnerable as Moscow and Washington decide the fate of a conflict that has roiled the continent.
Ukraine is eager for support from its European allies and reluctant to leave the talks solely in the hands of a US administration that has often seemed to lean toward Moscow’s views. For its part, Russia does not want European countries involved in direct negotiations, complaining they are financing and supplying Ukraine’s military effort.
Five major powers to represent Europe at Ukraine talks, says senior official
EU leaders agreed Friday that Europe would be represented by Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the bloc’s institutions at the next Ukraine talks, a senior EU official said.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss deliberations at an EU summit in Dublin, said that Europe could now focus on discussing the content of negotiations with Russia.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen says she is willing to meet Zelensky
French far-right leader and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said Friday she would be willing to meet Ukraine’s president in Brussels, after threatening to cut aid to Kyiv if elected.
Asked if she was ready to meet Volodymyr Zelensky during her campaign for a first face-to-face meeting, she responded: “Yes, if I can meet him in Brussels.”
“I think the location would actually be quite appropriate, because the reality is that the issue of funding for Ukraine is a question that is currently shaking Europe,” she said.
France is one of the strongest military supporters of Ukraine as it fights back against Russia’s invasion launched in 2022, and backs EU financial aid to Kyiv.
🎥 Russia strikes targets across Ukraine as Kyiv launches nearly 1,200 drones
EU leaders say Europe’s security cannot be part of Ukraine peace talks
EU leaders said on Friday that Europe’s security structure should not be a subject for Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations, but they did not answer the question of who should speak for Europe in any future talks.
📸 Rescue workers put out a fire in a residential house destroyed by a Russian strike on Kharkiv region
Photos provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP
Ukrainian sunoil plants suspend processing amid security risks
At least three large Ukrainian producers of sunflower oil, a key component of the country’s agricultural exports, said they had suspended production amid an increase in Russian attacks and problems with electricity supplies.
Ukraine’s Potoky sunflower oil refinery, among the country’s largest, said on Friday it had suspended purchases and processing of sunflower seeds due to power disruptions, the difficult security situation and work to repair damage caused by the war.
Kernel, a large agricultural company, and Delta Wilmar Ukraine, a major vegetable oil producer, have also suspended their operations.
🎥 Most Ukrainians ‘think there’s no chance of a peace deal’ with Russia
FRANCE 24’s correspondent in Kyiv Gulliver Cragg says most people in Ukraine think there is “no chance” of a peace deal with Russia being reached.
Pro-Ukraine ‘Coalition of the Willing’ countries to hold Berlin summit on November 19
Germany is set to host Ukraine’s allies for a “Coalition of the Willing” summit on November 19, a government spokesman confirmed.
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham are expected to attend the Berlin meeting, which comes amid a renewed diplomatic effort to end the war in Ukraine.
More than 20 heads of state and government are expected, said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“Our goal is to achieve two things: first, to secure funding for Ukraine’s defence for 2027 and, second, to reach a unified position regarding upcoming peace talks.”
📸 Investigators work at site of Moscow car explosion that wounded former aide to pro-Russia Ukrainian PM
The explosion struck a car driven by Sergei Zavorotnyi, who previously worked as an adviser to former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee. Zavorotnyi was hospitalised with injuries, the committee added.
Azarov served as prime minister under Ukraine’s Moscow-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych, who was forced from office by protesters and fled to Russia in February 2014.
Ukraine says it hit one of Russia’s largest oil refineries
Ukraine’s military said it had struck one of Russia’s largest oil refineries in Volgograd overnight.
The General Staff said on Telegram that oil processing units, six reservoirs and other parts of the refinery complex were hit.
Germany’s Merz asks Trump for ‘no surprises’ from Putin talks
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday pleaded for US President Donald Trump to create no surprises during expected talks about Ukraine next week with Russian President Vladimir Putin in China.
“Some here in Dublin fear this could turn into a ‘second Anchorage moment’,” said Merz on the sidelines of a meeting of EU leaders.
“I therefore want to state our message to the United States very clearly: please, no surprises. Continue to play as part of ‘Team Europe’ and ‘Team Ukraine’.”
Ukraine says it hit Russian drone production sites in Rostov region
Ukraine’s military said it had struck Russian drone production and repair sites in Rostov-on-Don with a missile attack.
“Every night, Russian drones fly toward Ukrainian cities, military positions, and energy infrastructure. Some of them are manufactured, stored and repaired in Rostov-on-Don,” the military said in the statement posted on Telegram.
🎥 US, Ukraine say Europe to join peace talks as Putin sticks to hardline stance
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and US envoy Jared Kushner said Europe would join the next round of talks with Russia, as Vladimir Putin indicated Moscow will not compromise on its hardline demands to end almost five years of war.
In a packed day of shuttle diplomacy following negotiations in Abu Dhabi, Kushner and fellow envoy Steve Witkoff held over four hours of talks with Putin in the Kremlin before jetting to debrief Zelensky in Dublin. ⬇️
Swedish PM says ‘extremely important’ that Europe has united voice in talks
It is “extremely important” that Europe has a united voice in talks on Ukraine with Russia, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Friday, adding that he thought a variety of voices could benefit Russia instead of Ukraine.
Russia undecided on letting Europe join Ukraine talks
The Kremlin said on Friday that Russia would be open to European countries taking part in Ukraine peace talks if it saw that they were ready to contribute to the peace process.
The comment suggests that Russia has not yet committed to including Europeans in the next round of talks, despite US negotiators saying on Thursday that President Vladimir Putin had agreed to their participation.
Asked if negotiations would resume in the near future with European representatives joining those from Ukraine, Russia and the US, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “Once we understand their genuine intention and readiness to contribute to the peace process, then it will be possible to make a decision on holding dialogue on a Ukrainian settlement in an expanded format.”
Kremlin says it is ready for evacuation of civilians from Ukraine’s Kostiantynivka
The Kremlin said on Friday that it is ready to carry out a humanitarian operation to evacuate civilians from the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka, following a similar model to that used last month in the town of Oleshky, if it receives appropriate security guarantees.
In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called on the United States to use its influence with the Ukrainians to secure Kyiv’s agreement to such an operation.
Four killed in Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s Samara region
The governor of Russia’s Samara region said on Friday that Ukraine had struck an industrial facility there, killing four people.
In his statement on Russia’s MAX messenger, Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev did not name the facility struck or the weapons used by Ukraine.
Europe must not fall into Russia’s ‘traps’ in Ukraine talks, EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas says
Source: www.france24.com
