Putin fires nuclear capable hypersonic missiles, Zelensky ready to surrender 25% territory

Facing mounting pressure from the United States, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has signaled willingness to freeze the current front line for a ceasefire deal. Now, this could effectively imply surrendering 25% of Ukraine's territory to Russia, 25%. Barely hours after the U.S. Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, described Putin as a humanitarian, Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on Kiev and other parts overnight. A lot has unfolded. And according to Zelensky, three waves of 21 ballistic missiles were launched at the Ukrainian capital by Russia, killing, according to him, at least two people and injuring 34 others, reportedly. Residential buildings, energy facilities, railway stations, shopping malls, a monastery suffered damage, reportedly. have a look at this video now it captures the moment an explosion lit up the night sky in Kiev Kiev authorities meanwhile also said that Russian strikes damaged subway infrastructure on the southern bridge over the Dnipro River in the Ukrainian capital and these visuals from Kharkiv firefighters grappling to extinguish burning trucks one person was killed 15 others injured in reported Russian attacks. Authorities also accused Russia of carrying out nearly 60 drone attacks on 26 settlements in Sumy and this led to the death of one civilian reportedly with killings reported in Zaporizhia, Donetsk, Chernihiv as well. Ukraine has said at least nine people were killed in Russian strikes over the past day and according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Russia's mass overnight attack involved the Iskander-M short-range ballistic missile that can basically execute unpredictable evasive maneuvers in terminal descent. In fact, the S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile system was also reportedly used in the strikes. That's not even all. The anti-ship cruise missile reportedly used as well with a range of 800 kilometers. It can basically carry both conventional as well as nuclear payloads. The Ukrainian Air Force also claiming to have shot down 181 out of the 210 drones of various types fired by Russia. And this included 110 jet-powered drones. Strikes were recorded at 32 locations. And among the missiles, one standing out in particular, Russia reportedly unleashed the Zircon. Now, the Zircon is a Russian nuclear-capable hypersonic missile, initially designed as a ship-launched anti-ship weapon to basically counter Western aircraft carriers. It has been repurposed by Russia for land attack missions. On the other hand, the Moscow mayor accused Ukraine of launching 630 drones on the Russian capital from overnight to Thursday, most of which were reportedly destroyed by the air defense systems. Two people were injured in the drone attacks. Now, Moscow's attack, remember, coming just hours after Putin agreed in principle to resume three-way negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine and America as early as next month. And according to the Kremlin, these talks could take place in Abu Dhabi on or after November 10 and would basically focus on how to guarantee security of Ukraine and Russia once the war ends. Now, this comes after the U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Putin in St. Petersburg to seek a diplomatic solution to the protracted war in Ukraine. Witkoff said Trump is deeply grateful for Putin's decision to sell diesel to the U.S. and also hailed him for releasing retired teacher Stephen Hubbard. You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being an humanitarian. You are a part of humanitarian also, sir. And I salute that. I commend you and I thank you again. That's not all. Remember, this is a 74-year-old American citizen we are talking about, was sentenced in 2024 to seven years in prison for allegedly fighting on behalf of Ukraine. And after his release from prison, he met Witkoff and then flew back to Texas, reportedly. Despite Trump seeking to woo Putin in a way, Russia was less enthused, it seems. It has said that there wasn't really much substance in the latest peace proposals. On his part, though, Trump claiming that an end to the Ukraine war could be closer than ever before. Here's what he said. We're negotiating with Russia right now on Ukraine. We are maybe close to a deal for the first time in a long time. We're maybe close to a deal. When you're close to a deal and you have very delicate negotiations, you don't put sanctions on. And after his meeting with Witkoff, Zelensky also expressed willingness to hold trilateral talks with America and Russia as soon as possible, preferably no later than early November. But the mood on the streets of Kiev is not all that optimistic about an early end to the war. Let's play this out for you. It's hard to say. Not so long ago, there were constant thoughts that it, the war, would all be over there soon, a sense of expectation, but now that's completely gone. It just seems that with every year, month, and day, things are getting worse, and it's only a matter of time before it affects you directly. Now, there's a big question here. is Trump's bid to ease sanctions on Russia and the push for a ceasefire on its terms also linked to the situation in Iran, where the U.S. is trapped in that prolonged war. Some experts reportedly believe that Trump may use these concessions as a leverage to basically convince Putin for bringing Iran back to the negotiating table. So that's joining the dots for you. Interestingly, during his talks with Witkoff, Putin himself offered to help settle the West Asia crisis, citing Russia's special relationship with Tehran.