Russia has demanded sanctions relief from the United States as part of its talks over a potential energy ceasefire with Ukraine, officials told the Kyiv Independent. While the Kremlin publicly has shown little openness to a deal that would spare critical energy infrastructure ahead of winter, Russian officials have signalled willingness in private. Moscow will consider a deal only if Washington makes concessions, including sanctions relief, according to three sources. It is unclear whether Washington will comply, but Ukrainian officials said President Donald Trump is keen to show progress before the November mid‑term elections.
A Ukrainian delegation arrived in Miami on Friday to negotiate with the US team, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. European representatives, whom President Volodymyr Zelensky said would join the talks, were also present. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are scheduled to meet Ukrainian representatives on Friday in Miami to discuss new ideas and produce a unified proposal for resolving the war.
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia proposed an EU ban on Russian grain exports through the bloc, sending a letter to European Council President Antonio Costa and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The Baltic states seek to end shipments of Russian grain through their ports after Moscow increased transits in response to Ukrainian attacks on Black Sea ports. Estonia last week announced its first ban, and Prime Minister Kristen Michal intends to raise the issue at next week’s European Council meeting, according to a separate statement from the Estonian government.
Russian strikes have plunged Kyiv into darkness, with attacks on an energy facility causing widespread power outages and disrupting water supplies and public transport. Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said workers were restoring electricity as quickly as possible. The attacks also hit a Yandex data centre in the Kaluga region, where Ukrainian drones caused a fire and forced a suspension of operations. Yandex said it could not yet determine whether the damaged equipment could be restored. Ukrainian President Zelensky said Ukraine was mirroring Russian attacks on data centres and criticised Washington’s willingness to pursue economic ties with Russia while mediating the conflict.
