Turkey’s Erdoğan’s pushes ‘peace plan,’ Russia strikes Ukrainian homes, and U.S. clears Ukraine to hit Russian territory with ATACMS
As Ukraine prepares to mark 1,000 days since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, reports that the White House has decided to allow Kyiv to use long-range U.S. missiles to strike Russian territory remain top of the news. On Monday, November 18, the Kremlin repeated its past warnings against lifting such restrictions, even though the Biden administration has yet to confirm the new missile authorization. Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reportedly come up with his own peace plan ahead of this week’s G20 summit. Here’s what you need to know today about Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The world
Turkey’s Erdoğan to present his own peace plan at the G20 summit
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan plans to unveil his own proposal for a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine at the upcoming G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on November 18-19, according to Bloomberg, which cited sources familiar with the matter.
Erdoğan’s plan reportedly calls for freezing hostilities along the current line of contact, the creation of a demilitarized zone in eastern Ukraine, and the deployment of international troops as “an additional guarantee.” As part of the proposal, Ukraine would agree to postpone discussions about NATO membership for at least a decade in exchange for additional military aid.
Sources in Ankara acknowledged to Bloomberg that the plan would be a tough sell for Ukraine but described it as “the most realistic approach.” Erdoğan reportedly believes that if the fighting continues, Kyiv could lose even more territory in the coming months.
Turkey has not officially commented on the proposal. However, a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry told the Russian state news agency TASS that Bloomberg’s report “does not reflect the truth regarding Turkey.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov quickly dismissed the notion of freezing the conflict, calling it “unacceptable from the outset.” He reiterated that Russia would only cease hostilities if the demands President Vladimir Putin made in June were met, which include the official recognition of four Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia — as Russian territory and Ukraine’s full renunciation of NATO aspirations.
Kyiv has yet to comment on Erdoğan’s proposal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will not attend the G20 summit, as Ukraine is not a member of the group and he did not receive a special invitation from Brazil. Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, will also not be in Rio de Janeiro.
Global discussions about a potential ceasefire have gained momentum in the wake of Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election. (Trump has claimed he would end the war “within 24 hours” if elected.) Since his election, Trump has reportedly spoken with Putin by phone — though the Kremlin has denied this — and urged him to avoid further escalation, emphasizing the strong U.S. military presence in Europe.
While the specifics of Trump’s peace plan remain unclear, The Wall Street Journal previously reported that one option, similar to Erdoğan’s proposal, involves freezing the front lines and a temporary pledge from Ukraine to delay joining NATO, in exchange for continued military support from the United States aimed at deterring future Russian aggression.
Ukraine
Russia continues to fire missiles at residential areas in major cities
Russian forces launched a missile strike on Odesa on Monday, hitting civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings, according to Odesa governor Oleh Kiper. He reported that 10 people were killed and 47 others, including a child, were injured.
The previous evening, a missile struck a high-rise apartment building in Sumy. On Monday, local authorities said the death toll from the attack had risen 12, including two children. Another 89 people were injured, and search and rescue operations are ongoing.
The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the strikes on residential buildings in Odesa and Sumy.
Yesterday morning, Russian forces carried out the most extensive coordinated bombardment of Ukrainian territory in months. The attack, spanning seven regions, involved 120 missiles and 90 drones, most of which were intercepted by air defense systems. The Ukrainian authorities reported five deaths.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the main target of the assault was Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed this, stating that “high-precision strikes” had been aimed at energy facilities that Moscow claims support Ukraine’s military-industrial complex, as well as enterprises producing military equipment.
Russia
Kremlin condemns reported U.S. authorization of ATACMS strikes against targets in Russia
The Kremlin warned of a “new escalation of tensions” in the war after reports emerged that President Biden had authorized Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles against targets in Russia’s Kursk region. If confirmed, the decision would represent a “qualitatively new situation in terms of the U.S.’s involvement in this conflict,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
On November 17, several major U.S. media outlets, citing unnamed sources, reported that Biden had given Ukraine the green light to use ATACMS missiles against targets in Russia. The White House and the Pentagon declined to comment, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not confirm the reports, remarking only that “the missiles will speak for themselves.”
The exact conditions for using ATACMS remain unclear. According to The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Axios, their use is currently restricted to strikes in the Kursk region, where North Korean troops are stationed alongside Russian forces. The move is reportedly intended as a warning to North Korea that its forces in the region are vulnerable, in hopes of discouraging Pyongyang from sending additional troops to Russia.
Ukrainian officials have long sought U.S. approval to target Russian territory with long-range weapons, but Washington had repeatedly refused, fearing that it could sharply escalate the conflict. Moscow has described such strikes as a “red line,” though previous Western actions that Russia labeled similarly have often led to nothing.
There had been speculation in U.S. media that Biden might approve the use of ATACMS in the final months of his presidency, should Donald Trump be elected as his successor. Trump himself has not commented on the matter, but his son, Donald Trump Jr., who is not part of his official team, weighed in on X, calling the decision-makers “imbeciles” and accusing the U.S. defense industry of trying to start World War III before his father “has a chance to create peace and save lives.”
