Zelensky meets Merz in Berlin as Kharkiv hospital strike injures more than 70
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is meeting German Chancellor Merz in Berlin as a Russian strike injured more than 70 people at a hospital in Kharkiv and Abu Dhabi peace talks are due next week.
How it was covered
- BBC News was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on Zelensky's Berlin meeting, Kharkiv and Zaporizhia strikes, and scepticism over Abu Dhabi talks.
- Channel 5, BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
BBC News reported that peace talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine are due to take place in Abu Dhabi next week in an effort to reach a breakthrough on a deal to end the war.
The broadcaster said Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky had accused Russia of launching a massive overnight attack, with strikes injuring more than 70 people at a hospital in Kharkiv.
BBC News also reported that the latest strikes came after one of the deadliest attacks on Ukraine in recent months, on a humanitarian centre in Zaporizhia late on Monday. According to the broadcaster, Zelensky said people remained under the rubble there and 29 people had been confirmed killed.
In Berlin, BBC News reported that Zelensky was meeting German Chancellor Merz as part of efforts to ensure continued European support. The broadcaster said the two were expected to address the media.
Alexander Kara, a former adviser to Ukraine's Ministry of Defence, told BBC News that European partners had become more important after the Trump administration came to office and the United States withdrew support for Ukraine. He said Germany and Nordic countries were at the heart of that support and that Ukraine needed more weaponry and joint production of drones.
Kara also told BBC News that, according to Ukrainian authorities, up to 80% of Ukrainian energy and heat generation facilities are either damaged or destroyed. He said Kyiv had been getting about eight hours of electricity per day for a couple of weeks.
He was sharply sceptical about the Abu Dhabi talks, telling BBC News that he would not bet a penny on their success. He argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not ready to stop the war and wanted to re-establish Russian hegemony in Europe.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 3 channels | |||
| Peace talks involving the US, Russia and Ukraine are due to take place in Abu Dhabi next week. | Reported by BBC One | Reported by Channel 4 | |
| Reported by a few · 2 channels | |||
| A Russian overnight strike injured more than 70 people at a hospital in Kharkiv. | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | |
| President Zelensky was in Berlin meeting Chancellor Merz. | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News led with the Abu Dhabi peace talks and Zelensky's Berlin meeting, then moved to the Kharkiv hospital strike and the earlier Zaporizhia attack. Its main analytical segment was an interview with Alexander Kara, who was deeply sceptical about the talks and focused on European weapons, drone production and energy support. The programme also promoted a US mid-term elections special at the start, an unrelated item.
- “Peace talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine are due to take place in Abu Dhabi next week in an effort to reach a breakthrough on a deal to end the war.”
- “It comes as Ukraine's President says Russia launched a massive overnight attack with strikes injuring more than 70 people at a hospital in Kharkiv.”
- “I wouldn't bet a penny on any success of those talks.”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 12:18 GMT
Alexander Kara, with the Centre for Defence Studies and a former advisor to Ukraine's Ministry of Defence
BBC News Now · Tue 3 Nov
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.