The Breakfast Table

Earlier report · Published 14 Oct 2026

Drones Hit Two Ships Off Bulgaria

The Breakfast Table · Ages 9–11

Eleven sailors are missing after one ship sank.

Bulgaria is a country in Europe on the western shore of the Black Sea. Its Prime Minister, Rumen Radev, says drones struck two ships off its coast. One of the ships sank.

Rescuers pulled 15 sailors to safety, and one more was saved from the sunken ship. Eleven sailors are still missing. Bulgaria summoned Russia's ambassador. Radev said there is no solid evidence against any one side.

This matters because Bulgaria is a member of the European Union and of NATO, an alliance of countries that protect each other. Ukraine and Russia, which are at war, both have shores on the Black Sea.

The rescued sailors were seven Ukrainians and eight from Azerbaijan. Radev called the attacks completely unacceptable. At a forum in Warsaw, NATO's top commander, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, said the alliance would be ready to fight tonight if attacked. In a separate move, France's navy boarded a tanker south of Reunion that it suspects of carrying fuel for Russia's shadow fleet, and Russia called that a violation of international law.

Connect the dots

Geography: a sea has shores in several countries, so trouble at sea can touch many countries at once.

Earlier report · Published 16 Oct 2026

Russia Hits Ukraine’s Power Again, and Kyiv Ends Its Pause

The Breakfast Table · Ages 9–11

More than half a million people lost electricity after the latest attacks.

Ukraine is in the fifth year of a war with Russia. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump announced an “energy ceasefire”, a pause in attacks on power plants and oil sites. It did not hold. Overnight into Wednesday, Russian attacks killed at least nine people and left more than half a million without electricity.

Russia said it hit two plants that supply power and heat in the capital, Kyiv, and another in Kharkiv. Ukraine, in turn, has been hitting Russian oil refineries. On Thursday, Russia said Ukraine struck a refinery in Ryazan, south of Moscow. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Kyiv was done with the pause.

Zelenskyy was due to meet European leaders in Brussels on Thursday. He wants tougher sanctions on Russia, which are penalties meant to hurt its economy. The EU has promised Ukraine $50 billion next year, but Ukraine plans to spend $175 billion on defence.

Connect the dots

Winter makes power a matter of life and death: homes, hospitals and water pumps all need electricity to stay warm and working.

Earlier report · Published 23 Oct 2026

Putin Agrees in Principle to Restart Three-Way Talks

The Breakfast Table · Ages 9–11

Russia, Ukraine and the US could meet again after 10 November.

Russia's war in Ukraine is more than four years old. On Wednesday, US envoy Steve Witkoff met Russia's President Putin in St Petersburg for about three hours. Afterwards, Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said Putin agreed, in principle, to restart three-way talks with the US and Ukraine after 10 November.

The talks would focus on building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the war ends. Earlier rounds, held in Abu Dhabi and Geneva, made little progress beyond swaps of prisoners. Ukraine's President Zelensky said only a meeting of leaders can break the deadlock, and that freezing the conflict is the minimum he needs from Russia.

Russia also freed Stephen Hubbard, a retired US teacher jailed for fighting in Ukraine, after Trump asked Putin to release him. Witkoff called it a goodwill gesture. The fighting has not paused, though. Overnight attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, killed three people and injured 12.

Connect the dots

Peace efforts for Ukraine have moved between several countries. Abu Dhabi is in the United Arab Emirates and Geneva is in Switzerland. Oslo, where Witkoff met Zelensky the day before, is in Norway.

Earlier report · Published 11 Nov 2026

Ukraine’s Families Wait as Talks to End the War Begin in Abu Dhabi

The Breakfast Table · Ages 9–11

Leaders called the first day useful, but both sides still disagree about land.

For Ukrainian families, the war Russia began in February 2022 is part of every day. Russian attacks damage the systems that bring power and heat into homes, raising the risk of a hard winter. On Tuesday, teams from Russia, Ukraine and the United States met in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, for two days of talks.

What would make families feel safe after a war? A US official said the talks would focus on security guarantees: promises from other countries to help if Russia attacked again. Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said: “Our people are waiting to end this war.”

Land is the hardest part. Russia holds about 20 percent of Ukraine, and each side wants a different border. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the first day “constructive and quite substantive.”

Why it matters

Millions in Ukraine live with the war every day, and a safe end depends on promises other countries will keep.

Earlier report · Published 12 Nov 2026

For Soldiers’ Families, Abu Dhabi Brings Hope of a Homecoming

The Breakfast Table · Ages 9–11

Russia and Ukraine agreed to a large prisoner exchange, though the war goes on.

When soldiers are captured in a war, their families can wait a long time for news. On Wednesday there was hopeful news. After two days of talks in Abu Dhabi, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a large exchange of prisoners of war, which means each side sends captured soldiers home.

The number is not final yet. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said between 1,000 and 1,200 prisoners may be exchanged. Jared Kushner, an American who helped lead the talks, said the numbers would be set on Thursday.

The harder questions were left open. The sides did not agree to a ceasefire, a stop to the fighting, and they still disagree about land. Kushner said, “we are pushing a boulder uphill.” He and Steve Witkoff now go to Moscow to meet Russia’s president, then to Dublin to meet Zelenskyy.

Why it matters

Talks can help people even before a war ends.