Putin said yes to peace talks on Wednesday. By Thursday morning, Kyiv was under a 21-missile barrage.

Russia agreed in principle to resume U.S.-mediated peace talks with Ukraine and the United States after Nov. 10, the Kremlin said Wednesday, following a three-hour meeting between Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg. The technical-level talks, possibly in Abu Dhabi, would be the first such round since February.

Hours later, Kyiv came under a major attack. According to reporting on the overnight strikes, 21 missiles and 210 drones were launched at Ukraine overnight into Thursday; Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said several homes were struck and at least six people were injured.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday his administration was the closest it had ever been to settling the war — and the first explosions hit Kyiv about three minutes before he made those comments, according to one report on the timeline.

The diplomatic push had opened with a concession: Russia released detained American teacher Stephen Hubbard, 74, at Trump's request, as Witkoff opened talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after meeting Witkoff in Oslo, said he wanted the talks resumed as soon as possible.

But Putin aide Yuri Ushakov dismissed some of the proposals discussed — including security guarantees and an energy ceasefire floated by the Ukrainian side — as not particularly useful, leaving the talks' prospects uncertain, according to reporting on the meetings.

Canada has watched this cycle before. The country is home to one of the world's largest Ukrainian diasporas and has been among Kyiv's most consistent backers with military aid and sanctions since 2022, which means any genuine opening in Abu Dhabi would land in Ottawa too — along with the question of what Canadian support looks like in a post-settlement Ukraine.

The pattern Moscow keeps repeating

Each recent diplomatic opening has arrived alongside fresh strikes — a pattern that has repeatedly undercut talk of momentum. Kyiv and its European allies have pressed Moscow to return to the negotiating table while Russia has maintained that it holds the military advantage, according to reporting on the diplomacy.

What Nov. 10 would need to deliver

For the Abu Dhabi round to matter, the two sides would need to agree on post-conflict security guarantees — the core unresolved item. With Russia demanding concessions on the Donetsk region and Ukraine's NATO membership off the table in Moscow's telling, the gap remains wide.