No Red Lines, No Summit, No Peace: Budapest Aborted While Kyiv and Kharkiv Bombarded
Putin’s missiles strike while diplomats talk. As Trump’s Budapest meeting evaporates, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan may emerge as the only leader still capable of forcing Moscow back to the table.
Live from Odesa on BBC World Television, I joined anchor Sally Bundock to unpack the abrupt cancellation of the planned Trump–Putin summit in Budapest. In our discussion, I pointed to Russia’s total lack of cooperation and its maximalist war demands as key reasons the talks fell apart — raising the broader question: Can Moscow be a credible partner for peace after the horrific overnight strikes on Kyiv, a kindergarten in Kharkiv, and civilian targets and critical infrastructure in other major Ukrainian cities? I also argued that the center of gravity for ending the war may now shift to Europe, with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emerging as a pivotal player — building on his diplomatic momentum from the recent Gaza–Israel peace agreement. Finally, I suggested that Donald Trump, leveraging his influence in the Gulf states and Turkey, could push for temporary bans on Russian tourism and investment — a bold move that might compel the Kremlin to come to the peace table.
Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine killed at least seven people, including two children, and caused enormous damage to a kindergarten in Kharkiv where some 50 children were sheltering in a bomb shelter. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the October 22 attack “vile” and said it struck energy and civilian infrastructure in at least 10 Ukrainian regions, including the capital, Kyiv. Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, added that at least 21 residents were injured in the attack. Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said that a two-year-old child was among the injured. Klitschko said that debris from drones and missiles caused fires in Kyiv’s Dnipro, Pechersk, and Darnytsya districts, damaging residential buildings and industrial sites. The attack began late on October 21 as witnesses reported hearing explosions and air defense units in operation. Emergency services were dispatched to several sites where debris from the destroyed air weapons fell, sparking fires. Later in the day, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, was also targeted by Russian drones, which hit a local kindergarten, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. He added that the strike killed one person and injured at least five others - RFE/RL
Ukraine says it successfully launched a large-scale missile and air strike on a chemical plant in Russia’s Bryansk region that it calls crucial to Moscow’s war industry. Kyiv’s military said Storm Shadow missiles penetrated Russian air defenses, though the results were still being assessed - DW
Men in Ukraine️ have reportedly been paying up to $15,000 for medical exemption from military service. But despite a huge overhaul promised by President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2023, the schemes continue. Today, four military medical examination commission members were suspended in Odesa for allegedly issuing fake certificates.
Just hours after three Russian drones struck a kindergarten in Kharkiv, I visited the Mriya Family Centre in Odesa — a safe haven for children displaced from Kherson and nearby towns. It was a comforting moment on a grim day, when Russia once again showed the world that there are no red lines to its brutality. By highlighting the incredible work of Mriya, I hope you’ll also be moved to support them — and to stand with Ukraine’s most vulnerable. Click here to access Mriya’s Instagram page where you can message them directly on ways to support. 🇺🇦💙💛 🇺🇦💙💛
Thailand’s deputy finance minister, Vorapak Tanyawong, said on Wednesday that he was resigning over allegations that he and his wife were linked to a network of cybercrime hubs in Cambodia, part of a sprawling criminal enterprise in Southeast Asia that has stolen tens of billions of dollars from victims worldwide. His announcement followed news media reports that he was connected to the scam network and that his wife had accepted bribes from a cybercrime operation. Mr. Vorapak, who denied the allegations, is a rare example of a high-ranking official stepping down after being accused of ties to the fraud. Mr. Vorapak said in a statement that he would leave his role “so as not to allow my personal affairs to become a burden” on the government and to protect the independence of Thailand’s investigation into the scam network, an inquiry he had been appointed to lead. He said that he would pursue legal action against what he called defamatory reports linking him to the scam centers. Criminal groups have used the porous border regions of some Southeast Asian countries like Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to carry out online fraud targeting people around the world. Thailand, along with countries including China, the United States, Britain and South Korea, recently widened its campaign against the network, and last month Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul appointed Mr. Vorapak to lead the country’s effort - NYT
A spying row is complicating the UK government’s already vexing decision to allow construction of an enormous new Chinese embassy in London. Critics fear the proposed building could be a surveillance threat, given its location near the UK’s financial centers. The British government is accused of being soft on Beijing: It refused to provide evidence in an espionage case in which two men allegedly working for China were accused of spying on lawmakers, and kept China off a list of potential threats to national security. A decision to approve construction of the 215,000-square-foot embassy site that was due today has been delayed, sparking anger from Beijing, which said the UK would “bear all consequences” if permission was refused - Semafor
The Louvre reopened Wednesday three days after a shocking heist forced the museum to shut its doors to visitors. Louvre Director Laurence des Cars is set to face a questioning by a cultural committee at the French Senate later Wednesday amid questions over the security provisions at the world’s most visited museum. Des Cars, who has run the Louvre since 2021, has not made any public statement since thieves made off with royal jewels during a daylight robbery Sunday that took just seven minutes. The theft reignited a row over the lack of security in French museums, after two other institutions were hit last month. “The Louvre curator estimated the damages to be €88 million,” or $102 million, Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said Tuesday. But she said the greater loss was to France‘s historical heritage, adding that the thieves would not pocket the full windfall if they had “the very bad idea of melting down these jewels”. Scores of investigators are looking for Sunday’s culprits, working on the theory that it was an organised crime group that clambered up a ladder on a truck to break into the museum, then dropped a diamond-studded crown as they fled. Beccuau confirmed that four people were involved in Sunday’s robbery and said authorities were analysing fingerprints found at the scene. A report by France’s Court of Auditors seen by AFP covering 2019 to 2024 pointed to a “persistent” delay in security upgrades at the Louvre. Only a fourth of one wing was covered by video surveillance. In January, Des Cars had warned Culture Minister Rachida Dati of a “worrying level of obsolescence” at the museum, citing an urgent need for major renovations. - France 24
Trump critics are flooding the company that is demolishing part of the White House with one-star reviews. Maryland-headquartered Aceco LLC is facing backlash for destroying a portion of the East Wing, which houses the first lady’s offices, to make way for President Donald Trump’s $250 million ballroom. “Destroying ‘The People’s House’ with no regard for their permission,” read a one-star review on Google Maps. “Deplorable act no matter the reason.” Another person added, “The White House is a Historical Landmark. How is this legal?” The company’s rating dropped at one point to 1.8 stars, until Google revised it to 4.1. Former CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta also questioned the project in a Monday post on X. “So any president can just start destroying portions of the White House? Is that how this works?” he wrote. Trump’s 90,000-square-foot project is expected to be completed “long before” the end of his presidency, according to White House officials. “They’ve wanted a ballroom for 150 years,” Trump said during an event at the White House. “And I’m giving that honor to this wonderful place.” The ballroom marks the White House’s first structural change since the Truman Balcony was added in 1948 - The Daily Beast
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