+++ News in the Ukraine War +++: Trump announces meetings with Putin and Zelensky “very soon”.

According to the federal government, the peace efforts by Finland and Norway through direct contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin were coordinated with Germany. Both Scandinavian states subsequently informed about the diplomatic initiative, says a government spokesman in Berlin. A ceasefire and strong security guarantees are needed for Ukraine. But there can be no solution without Ukraine and the EU. ‌Russia shows no desire for peace. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke to Putin by phone on Tuesday. It was one of the few direct conversations between top European politicians with him since the start of the Ukraine war more than four and a half years ago. (rtr)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is taking part in a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in the USA this week. Lavrov will travel to the meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, from Friday to Saturday and lead the Russian delegation, said Russian Foreign Office spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in Moscow on Wednesday. (afp)

US President Donald Trump has announced an imminent meeting with his Russian colleague Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelensky. “There will be a meeting very soon,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday. “I believe that great progress could be made,” he added, referring to diplomatic efforts to end the war that has been going on for more than four and a half years.

The Kremlin recently announced direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators under US mediation in Abu Dhabi for the first half of November. Ukrainian President Zelensky confirmed the plans on Friday on the online service The three sides last negotiated in February without making any progress.

Trump had previously expressed confidence that the war in Ukraine would end soon. “Perhaps we are now closer than ever before,” he said last Wednesday in Washington after a meeting between his special envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin. In any case, in his opinion an agreement is getting closer. (afp)

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has criticized a phone call between Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Frederiksen said she sees no signs that Russia wants peace with Europe. The call was not coordinated with other European heads of state and government. “I believe we should keep Europe united instead of going it alone,” she said.

The 90-minute phone call with Putin came about on their initiative, explained Stubb and Støre. It was about the war and upcoming three-way talks with delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the USA. The two emphasized that they spoke on behalf of their countries and not for the whole of Europe.

The Kremlin said a just and lasting peace would only be possible if Russia's "legitimate interests" were fully and unconditionally taken into account.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said an end to Russian attacks, including on the Ukrainian power grid, was necessary to open the path to peace. “There must be peace, de-escalation is necessary, and Russia must stop prolonging the war,” he wrote on the X platform. (ap)

According to information from Kyiv, the ceasefire around the Russian-occupied front-line town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine is holding. It was not broken in the first 30 hours, said Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets. The ceasefire ‌was brokered by the USA and is limited to November 1st to enable an evacuation of the city, which has been embattled for months, as well as aid deliveries. The living conditions there recently became more and more dramatic; it was almost impossible for the residents to escape. (rtr)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has once again highlighted his country's need for anti-aircraft missiles and delays in their deliveries. Moscow has used more than 100 ballistic missiles against the capital Kyiv and its surrounding areas within two weeks, Zelensky said in a video message.

There are significant delays in the delivery of air defense systems. “And everyone hears and everyone sees that it is currently difficult for us to defend ourselves against Russian ballistic missiles,” he said, citing casualties and damage.

Above all, it is about US systems of the Patriot type. They are considered particularly effective against ballistic missile attacks, which are difficult to intercept due to their high speed. Only on Monday Zelenskyj complained about delays in deliveries. (dpa)