President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected US suggestions that Ukraine should give up territory to end the war with Russia, as a drone strike on a Kyiv apartment block killed one person and injured five.
The attack came as Zelensky arrived in Dublin ahead of talks with US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Kyiv was also hit by Russian ballistic missiles overnight, with both sides seeking to demonstrate they can win the war during ongoing negotiations to end it.
Zelensky's rebuke to the US
Speaking before the meeting, as the Washington team arrived in Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin, Zelensky admonished the US for suggesting Ukraine should give ground.
Zelensky said: "The American side very often raises the topic of Donbas, part of our Ukrainian land. They think that to end this war, we have to leave our territory. It's impossible to talk this way with us, with an independent, sovereign country."
His statement followed inconclusive talks in Abu Dhabi between Ukrainian and Russian delegates, made up mostly of spies and diplomats.
Donbas and the stakes
The Donbas is Ukraine's industrial heartland in the east, most of which Russia occupies, and it holds mineral and rare earth potential. The US has suggested settling the war by drawing lines across already invaded territory, including Crimea, which Moscow invaded in 2014.
The latest strikes are part of an intensified Russian drone campaign against Kyiv and the surrounding region that has escalated since late August.
Heavy Russian losses
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed Russia is losing more than 40,000 troops killed or seriously wounded every month in the war, with preliminary figures suggesting the toll exceeded 50,000 in October.
Rutte said: "The US in 14 years, in Vietnam, lost 56,000. Here in one month, Russia, dead or seriously wounded, 40,000." Of Putin, he said: "He's hitting Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones, attempting to destroy critical infrastructure as we head into winter."
Russian troops have launched waves of drones during both day and night, hitting apartment buildings, logistics hubs, warehouses, shopping centers, offices, medical facilities, and schools, disrupting transport, businesses, and essential services. Kyiv residents face a cycle of air raid alarms and sheltering as drones threaten the capital at almost any hour.
Zelensky also insisted he wants security guarantees from the US and not Russia, emphasising his view that Putin cannot be trusted.
