Residents, volunteers and municipal workers clear debris in a damaged residential area following an overnight drone attack on Belgorod on October 25, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
Russia said on Oct. 26 that it would not slow down its offensive on Ukraine despite upcoming U.S.-brokered talks on ending the conflict but that it could agree local "humanitarian" ceasefires.
The Kremlin said that it was open to short-term "humanitarian" ceasefires along the front line, ahead of a truce in the ravaged Russian-occupied city of Oleshky.
A ceasefire is to start in the southern Ukrainian city early on Oct. 27, brokered by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump after months of reports that residents faced dire food, water and medicine shortages.
Asked whether Russia would consider more local truces, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "For humanitarian purposes, absolutely."
But Moscow vowed not to let up in the overall pace of the war, even as the sides prepare to restart stalled talks under U.S. mediation next month.
"The decision to resume trilateral talks does not imply any restrictions on combat operations," Peskov said.
"Our armed forces continue to carry out massive strikes on Ukraine's military-industrial complex," he added.
Russia has intensified drone and missile attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks, hitting energy sites around major cities in what Kiev says is a bid to plunge the country into cold and darkness throughout the winter.
The two sides are to meet next month with U.S. envoys to discuss ways to end Europe's worst conflict since World War II.
