Speaking at the Hudson Institute on Friday, Oct. 23, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Starlink and Starshield restrictions remain in place, despite US President Donald Trump’s earlier claims that service was restored. Zelensky also said that agreed deliveries of interceptor missiles, used to deter Russian ballistic missiles, remain delayed. Trilateral meetings with Russia and the US are still expected to be held in the first half of November, Zelensky said, following reports from senior US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Source-Kyiv Post
U.S.- Melania Trump has mediated a localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in and around the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast to allow the safe evacuation of civilians and delivery of humanitarian aid, Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets confirmed on Oct. 23.
The move comes amid growing attention to the worsening humanitarian crisis in the city, which has drawn international attention in recent weeks, including from Pope Leo XIV. Source-Kyiv Independent
Andriy Demchenko, spokesman for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service (DPSU), said in a televised interview on Friday that Belarus continues to host relay stations used by Russian drones. He said border guards have not recorded Russian or Belarusian units moving toward the Ukrainian border. Ukraine said in June that the relays had stopped working, but Demchenko said in September that they were active again. Source-Kyiv Post
Trump's midterm election calculations are complicating US policy on Ukraine.
The upcoming US midterm elections in November may help explain changes in US President Donald Trump's approach to Russia's war against Ukraine and his displays of support for Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Reuters said Trump has shifted his position quite openly on a major political issue over the past month. After criticizing Putin, he has begun to show support for him.
"With US voters increasingly frustrated by high energy prices and the cost of living, Trump has turned renewed attention to the war in Ukraine in recent days, arguing that a negotiated settlement there could help ease economic pressures at home, even though US consumers would be unlikely to feel the effects of any peace deal ahead of the 3 November vote," Reuters said. Source-Ukrainska Pravda
