September 2, 2026
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Zelensky dismisses senior SBU official after Kyiv shootout between GUR and SBU
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on 2 September dismissing Oleh Vitaliyovych Khramov from his post as head of the SBU's Department of State Secrets Protection and Licensing. The move follows an armed clash in Kyiv's Dnipro district between personnel of Ukraine's military intelligence (GUR) and the Security Service (SBU), connected to the reported abduction of Russian Volunteer Corps deputy commander Stepan Kaplunov.
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Trump says he'll meet Putin only when Russia and Ukraine are ready to sign a peace deal
On September 2, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he is ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately, but wants the meeting to happen only when Russia and Ukraine are ready to conclude a peace agreement. Trump cited personal animosity between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin as the main obstacle to a deal, and suggested the war's end is "pretty close."
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Germany blames Russia for drone incident at Leipzig/Halle airport, announces countermeasures
On 1 September, Germany formally blamed Russia for an explosive drone discovered on 4 August near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle airport. German ministers announced the closure of the Russian consulate general in Bonn, termination of the agreement for the "Russian House" in Berlin, tighter border controls, and new EU sanctions listings. Russia rejected the accusations, and the EU summoned the Russian ambassador.
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Tusk calls fire at Polish drone plant supplying Ukraine's army deliberate sabotage
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated on 2 September that a fire at the Grupa WB (WB Electronics) drone factory in Skarżysko-Kamienna, which supplies unmanned systems to the Polish and Ukrainian armed forces, was a deliberate act of arson and sabotage. A separate fire at a JFG Composites aviation-components facility in Lublin remains under investigation, with Tusk saying arson has not been proven but cannot be ruled out. Poland's National Prosecutor's Office has opened a terrorism-related investigation into the Grupa WB blaze, and Tusk warned of intensified Russian efforts to destabilise Central and Eastern Europe.
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Zelensky appoints Svyatoslav Zaits as commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces
President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Svyatoslav Zaits as commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by decree No. 853/2026, dated September 2. The appointment was issued the same day as decree No. 852/2026 dismissing the previous commander, Hennadii Shapovalov, who had held the post since June 2025.