Key developments on Oct. 21:
- Kremlin 'ready' to resume trilateral peace talks with US, Ukraine, Putin claims
- 'Everything was in ruins' — At least 2 killed, 2 injured in Russian drone attack on Kyiv
- Russian Su-30 fighter jet crashes in Kaliningrad Oblast during training exercises, Moscow says
- Lockheed Martin delegation meets Ukraine's defense chiefs in Kyiv amid severe Patriot shortage
- Denmark guarantees $113 million loan for Ukrainian defense company Fire Point
Kremlin 'ready' to resume trilateral peace talks with US, Ukraine, Putin claims
The Kremlin is ready to resume trilateral peace talks between Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine in mid-November, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed during a meeting with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff on Oct. 21.
During their meeting, Putin and Witkoff discussed a "specific framework" by which the trilateral talks could take place, according to Russian state media.
"We see that (U.S.) President (Donald) Trump is quite sincere and consistent in his wish to facilitate a peaceful resolution and to set everything on the path toward a peace settlement," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media.
Putin thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for his attention to resolving the war and asked Witkoff about the results of the talks in Norway.
Witkoff's visit to St. Petersburg follows his Oct. 20 meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky and European allies in Oslo to discuss peace proposals to pass along to the Kremlin.
Zelensky and Kyiv's European allies backed the resumption of trilateral talks during discussions in Norway.
'Everything was in ruins' — At least 2 killed, 2 injured in Russian drone attack on Kyiv
A Russian drone attack on Kyiv killed at least two people and injured two others on the morning of Oct. 21, local authorities said.
An air raid alert sounded in Kyiv at around 5:20 a.m. local time as drones approached the capital, which has faced an unrelenting barrage of Russian drone attacks this fall.
In the Sviatoshynskyi District, a Russian drone struck a 24-story residential building, sparking a fire on the 20th floor. At least two people were killed, and two others were hospitalized with injuries, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Nataliia, a 63-year-old resident who requested anonymity beyond her first name for security reasons, said she heard drones flying over her neighborhood throughout the night until she heard an "incredibly powerful explosion."
The whole building shook, Nataliia recalled. She only realized that her building had been hit when she checked the group chat with her neighbors, in which she was instructed to go outside because part of it had caught on fire.
"When I finally got outside, I saw the whole horror of it — everything was in ruins," Nataliia said.
In the Desnianskyi District, drone debris fell on a car, while in the Solomianskyi District, debris landed in an open area, Klitschko said.
Russian Su-30 fighter jet crashes in Kaliningrad Oblast during training exercises, Moscow says
A Russian Su-30 fighter jet crashed during a scheduled training flight in Kaliningrad Oblast, a heavily militarized Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea bordering Poland and Lithuania, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Oct. 21.
Moscow has not elaborated on the reason for the plane crash. The Russian Defense Ministry said the crew ejected and evacuated by a ground search-and-rescue team, without disclosing whether they were injured.
The jet crashed near the town of Chernyakhovsk, about 90 kilometers (about 56 miles) east of Kaliningrad, according to the pro-Kremlin Mash Telegram channel. It said that both pilots were injured and were taken to a military hospital.
The Su-30 is a two-seat, multirole fighter for air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. Moscow said that the jet was not carrying any weapons at the time of the crash.
Lockheed Martin delegation meets Ukraine's defense chiefs in Kyiv amid severe Patriot shortage
Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara and Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi met with a delegation from the U.S. defense company Lockheed Martin, the Defense Ministry said on Oct. 21, as Ukraine faces an increasingly severe shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles.
The meeting came as Russia intensifies its ballistic missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and elsewhere across Ukraine, posing an immense challenge to Ukrainian air defenses. Lockheed Martin manufactures PAC-3 interceptors used by the Patriot air-defense system, which can engage Russian ballistic missiles, and has supported the U.S. move to grant Ukraine a Patriot production license.
The Defense Ministry said in its statement that Khmara and Drapatyi discussed "the importance of stable arms deliveries and further cooperation" with the Lockheed Martin delegation, led by Orlando Sanchez Jr., president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
The meeting also included discussions to scale up the supply of PAC-3 interceptors in response to the Russian ballistic missile threat, according to the Defense Ministry.
Denmark guarantees $113 million loan for Ukrainian defense company Fire Point
Denmark will guarantee a 750 million Danish kroner ($113 million) loan to the Danish subsidiary of Ukrainian defense company Fire Point, the Danish government announced on Oct. 21.
The guarantee highlights Denmark's role in helping Ukraine expand defense production beyond its borders as Russian attacks threaten domestic manufacturing and supply chains.
The loan is backed by the Danish state as Russia's war against Ukraine prevents the company from borrowing on ordinary terms in Denmark. The funding will be channeled through Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund (EIFO).
"Denmark strongly supports the Ukrainians' fight for freedom," Business and Industry Minister Martin Lidegaard said. He added that hosting a Ukrainian defense company in Denmark would bring "knowledge and production, as well as partnerships" that could strengthen Ukraine, Denmark’s defense industry and a more independent Europe.
Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus said locating Ukrainian defense production outside Ukraine would make it more resilient to Russian attacks.
