September 22, 2026
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Zelensky and Trump meet in New York: energy ceasefire, Patriot production and a push to end the war before winter
On September 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York. Zelensky proposed a mutual energy ceasefire, raised licensing of Patriot interceptor missile production in Ukraine, and said he is ready to meet Vladimir Putin with Trump's help. Trump said the war will end "sooner than people realize" and warned he is ready to use the newly-signed "Graham law" sanctions against Russia.
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EU extends Ukraine-related sanctions three years but drops Usmanov and Fridman in compromise
EU ambassadors agreed on 22 September to extend the bloc's individual sanctions related to Ukraine's territorial integrity for 36 months, until 22 September 2029, in a compromise that removes Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list. Latvia, the only holdout, lifted its veto and abstained, and announced it will impose its own national sanctions against the two men.
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Russia strikes 13 oblasts and Kyiv in mass overnight drone and missile attack; four killed in Dnipro
Russian forces launched a combined drone and missile attack on the night of 21–22 September, striking 13 Ukrainian oblasts and Kyiv. In Dnipro, a missile strike killed four people and injured six, with a rescue operation ongoing. Ukrainian air defence intercepted 186 aerial targets, but hits and debris were recorded at 26 locations, with damage to energy and railway infrastructure, fuel storage, food warehouses and residential buildings.
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Ukrainian drones strike Kuibyshev refinery in Russia's Samara region, causing large fire
On the night of 22 September 2026, Ukrainian drones attacked the Kuibyshevsky oil refinery in Samara Oblast, Russia, igniting a large-scale fire. Ukraine's General Staff and the Unmanned Systems Forces confirmed the strike, with the Unmanned Systems Forces stating the distance to the target exceeded 1,000 km. The same night, Ukrainian forces also struck the Bashneft-UNPZ refinery in Ufa.
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Zelensky tells IMF's Georgieva in New York that Fund will help Ukraine secure part of 2027 financing
President Volodymyr Zelensky met IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York on September 22, and said the IMF will help Ukraine find part of the funds needed for its financial stability in 2027. Zelensky told Georgieva that the Verkhovna Rada had already passed some of the legislation required by partners and that the remaining laws would be adopted by year's end.