Europe promised a seat at next Ukraine peace round, but Kremlin cautious; Russia says it downed 1,198 drones

European governments appear set to gain a role in US-brokered talks on ending the Russia-Ukraine war, though Moscow signalled on Friday that it has not yet signed up to the idea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at a military airbase outside Dublin after the pair held talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Zelenskyy told reporters that Europe would be part of the negotiating team at the next meeting. Kushner said the deal could not be concluded without Europeans "being at the table" and suggested Putin was willing to give the format a try.

Kremlin keeps its options open

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov played down any firm commitment on Friday. He said Moscow would decide on an expanded format once it understood Europe's "real intentions" and whether the Europeans had someone actually authorised to negotiate.

That question is now dividing European capitals. At an informal EU leaders' meeting in Dublin on Friday, leaders discussed who should speak for the bloc. Italy's Giorgia Meloni has called for an envoy with a clear mandate, Luxembourg's Luc Frieden sees European Council President Antonio Costa as the natural choice, and foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has also been mentioned. If no decision is reached, the matter goes to a special summit on 26 and 27 November.

A day earlier, about 40 countries at the European Political Community summit in Dublin signed a declaration saying decisions on European security must involve European governments. The talks produced agreement on a large prisoner exchange but no progress on territory.

One of the largest drone attacks of the war

On the battlefield, Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences destroyed 1,198 Ukrainian drones between Thursday evening and Friday morning over more than 15 regions, a figure that has not been independently verified. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying 467 drones were aimed at the capital.

In Volgograd, Governor Andrei Bocharov said falling debris started fires at an industrial site, killing four workers and injuring two. Ukraine's military said its drone units struck the Lukoil-owned Volgograd refinery, one of the largest in southern Russia, and Kyiv Post reported queues at petrol stations in the city. Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least two people in Odesa and injured six in Zaporizhzhia, local officials said, and a drone strike set a Kyiv hospital on fire.

For India, which buys large volumes of Russian crude, the campaign against Russian refineries and any shift in the peace talks are being watched closely for their effect on fuel markets and sanctions.