Russia pounds Kyiv hours after Putin agrees to fresh peace talks
Editorial illustration — Press Pass USARussia attacked Kyiv in a massive overnight assault with 21 missiles and 210 drones — killing two people and injuring 34 — just hours after President Vladimir Putin told U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff the Kremlin was ready to resume trilateral peace talks next month.
The strikes came in three waves of ballistic missiles, hitting transport infrastructure, residential buildings, a medical facility and a restaurant. Ukrainian officials said none of the ballistic missiles were intercepted, as the country faces a critical shortage of U.S.-made Patriot air defense missiles. At least one central Kyiv strike used a cluster warhead.
The bombardment followed a three-hour meeting Wednesday between Witkoff and Putin, during which the envoy controversially called Putin a "humanitarian" for freeing detained American Stephen Hubbard. President Volodymyr Zelensky responded: "When Russian ballistic missiles are the response to negotiations, real pressure must be applied on Russia."
President Trump said Wednesday his administration is "the closest we've been" to settling the war — the first explosions hit Kyiv three minutes before he made those comments.
Sources: CNN (Oct 21, 2026); NY Post (Oct 22, 2026).
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