EU
The EU (European Union) is a political and economic union of 27 member states built on the founding treaties of the European Communities. It operates common institutions, a single market and, for most members, the euro as a shared currency. In foreign and security policy it acts through the Council of the European Union and the European External Action Service.
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Zelensky launches Carpathian Eight summit, meets youth from partner countries
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hosted the first summit of the Carpathian Eight (C8) in the Ivano-Frankivsk region on 19 September, launching a Carpathian integration initiative. The summit, which brought together representatives of Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Czechia, Austria, and Serbia, included an economic forum featuring a joint investment portfolio of 95 projects worth roughly 40 billion euros. Zelensky also met with about 250 young participants in a Youth Congress, where discussions covered regional relations with Poland and Hungary, conditions for Ukrainians displaced by the war to return home, and housing support programs.
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Trump signs 'Graham Act' imposing up to 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian energy
US President Donald Trump signed the 'Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026' on September 18, 2026 (overnight into September 19 Kyiv time). The law authorizes tariffs of up to 100% on imports from countries that remain among the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil and natural gas, and continues existing US sanctions against Iran. China, India, and Turkey are named as the most likely targets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Trump and Congress, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called the signing a 'truly historic day.'
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EU to launch joint projects with Ukraine using at least €10 billion in remaining SAFE funds
The European Commission announced a new program of joint projects with Ukraine financed by remaining SAFE instrument funds, with a minimum of €10 billion available. Separately, the EU is allocating €3.3 billion to Ukraine for defense needs.
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EU draft budget for 2028–2034 includes €100 billion for Ukraine, diplomat says figure not questioned
The EU's draft Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028–2034 includes a planned €100 billion allocation for Ukraine, according to reporting by European Pravda. A senior EU diplomat familiar with the budget preparations said the figure is not currently being questioned among member states. A significant portion of the EU leaders' summit on 15–16 October in Brussels was to be devoted to the long-term budget.
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EU to send Ukraine additional €3.3 billion for missiles and drones
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced, after a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, that the EU would allocate an additional €3.3 billion to Ukraine for missiles and drones, to be disbursed on Friday, 18 September, under the Ukraine Support Loan program. The announcement was paired with a proposed new joint EU–Ukraine defense initiative, funded through remaining SAFE program funds, aimed at developing a European air and missile defense system based on the joint Freya/Freyja anti-ballistic system.
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U.S. House passes sweeping Russia and Iran sanctions bill, sending it to Trump
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, sending the legislation to President Donald Trump for signature. The bill imposes mandatory sanctions on Russian leadership, oligarchs, banks, energy firms and the shadow fleet, and authorizes tariffs of up to 100% on countries among the top five buyers of Russian oil and gas. Ukraine welcomed the measure; China, India and Russia sharply criticized it; Germany praised it; Hungary is seeking an exemption.
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Norway to allocate 1 billion kroner through EU's Ukraine Facility, first non-EU contributor
Norway announced on September 17 that it will allocate 1 billion Norwegian kroner (approximately 90–92 million euros) through the EU's Ukraine Facility mechanism to support Ukraine's state budget and reforms in anti-corruption and energy. Norway becomes the first non-EU country to contribute to the mechanism. The announcement was made during European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos's visit to Norway.
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Ukraine's parliament backs bill boosting parliamentary oversight of law enforcement
On 17 September, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, adopted draft law No. 14130 in first reading with 240 votes in favor. The bill strengthens parliamentary control over law enforcement and prosecutorial bodies, including mandatory annual reporting by the State Bureau of Investigation and the Prosecutor General on torture and ill-treatment investigations.
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Czech PM Babiš proposes joint European missile defense system called Euro Patriot
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš proposed creating a joint European missile defense system named Euro Patriot at the Prague Defense Summit. He framed the proposal as a response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's call for Europe to develop its own ballistic, anti-ballistic, and counter-drone defense capabilities, and suggested Europe could acquire licenses to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles.
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Estonia ready to close border with Russia immediately if Moscow announces general mobilization, PM says
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal stated that Estonia is prepared to immediately close its border with Russia should Moscow announce general mobilization. The statement was made at a government press conference alongside Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna and follows an Estonian government review of a scenario document on a possible Russian mobilization.
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Von der Leyen announces EU–Ukraine joint missile defense, Patriot procurement and SAFE-funded program in State of the Union
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her 16 September State of the Union address to announce that the EU will jointly develop an affordable modular missile defense system with Ukraine based on the Freyja project, launch a new program for joint projects with Ukrainian defense companies using remaining SAFE funds, and urgently deliver American Patriot interceptor missiles newly procured for Ukraine. She framed the package as the EU's strongest-ever support for Ukraine ahead of what she described as the harshest winter of the war.
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Ukrainian parliament dismisses Prosecutor General Kravchenko after he announced suspicion against NABU chief and left Ukraine
Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada voted 317-0 to dismiss Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko on 15 September 2026, one day after he announced suspicions against NABU director Semen Kryvonos and a person close to the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP), and left the country. President Volodymyr Zelensky had suspended Kravchenko the previous evening. The dismissal comes against the backdrop of the 'Carthage' operation, conducted by NABU and SAP, which has exposed a corruption scheme involving officials of the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG).
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Zelensky orders return of asset declarations for rear-echelon security officials, signs call-center fraud law
On 16 September 2026, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the preparation of a decision to reinstate mandatory asset declarations for law enforcement officers and Security Forces members who are not at war, in a scope sufficient to monitor their property and lifestyle. In the same address he signed a law introducing criminal liability for fraudulent call centers and ordered a vetting of all heads of central executive bodies, citing high corruption risks at the tax service, ARMA, and various inspectorates.
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Netherlands ratifies convention establishing International Compensation Commission for Ukraine
The Netherlands has completed ratification of the Council of Europe convention that creates an International Compensation Commission for damages caused by Russia's war against Ukraine. The Dutch Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe submitted the ratification instrument in Strasbourg on Tuesday, 15 September 2026. With this step, nine countries plus the EU have now completed ratification; 25 are required for the convention to enter into force.
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Russian drone strikes passenger train Kyiv–Mykolaiv; all evacuated, no casualties
Russian forces struck Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) passenger train No. 122 on the Kyiv–Mykolaiv route on the morning of 16 September, using a drone. All passengers, the locomotive crew and train crew had been evacuated in advance after a warning from Ukrzaliznytsia's monitoring team, and no one was injured. Ukrzaliznytsia, together with the Mykolaiv Oblast Military Administration, organized bus transfers to bring 168 passengers to Mykolaiv.
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Ukrainian parliament approves in first reading VAT on foreign marketplace purchases
On 16 September, the Verkhovna Rada voted in first reading for a package of bills introducing VAT on goods bought through foreign marketplaces, regardless of value. 273 MPs backed the Tax Code amendment and 267 supported a separate customs bill. Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said the legislation is part of Ukraine's obligations to the IMF and the EU and warned that the country has already missed a €4 billion tranche, with an October tranche still contingent on passage.
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Ukraine's parliament backs reboot of energy regulator in first reading
On 16 September, the Verkhovna Rada adopted draft law No. 14282 in its first reading, with 249 MPs voting in favour. The bill aims to strengthen the independence of the National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Utility Services (NKREKP) and set the stage for a full reboot of the regulator after adoption. It also responds to a major corruption case in the energy sector by seeking to remove associates of the implicated figures from the body.
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EU proposes largest-ever sanctions package against Russia's military-industrial complex
On 16 September, the European External Action Service presented a new sanctions package to EU ambassadors listing 1,576 individuals and entities connected to Russia's military-industrial complex. According to a source, it would be the largest single addition to the EU's Ukraine-related sanctions regime since its creation in 2014. The proposal still requires technical review and further approval by member-state ambassadors.
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Ukraine's government submits 2027 draft budget to parliament: defense at 44% of GDP, $52.6 billion external financing required
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved and submitted the draft State Budget for 2027 to the Verkhovna Rada on September 15, 2026. The bill, registered as No. 16000, allocates 4 trillion 885 billion hryvnias (about 43.8–44% of GDP) to defense and security, projects total expenditures of 7 trillion 272 billion hryvnias, and identifies an external financing requirement of $52.6 billion, of which only $20 billion has been confirmed by partners.
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Ukraine's parliament votes 317-0 to dismiss Prosecutor General Kravchenko
On 15 September 2026, the Verkhovna Rada voted unanimously, 317 to 0, to dismiss Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, and President Volodymyr Zelensky signed decree No. 932/2026 formalizing the dismissal. The vote came a day after Zelensky suspended Kravchenko from the post under Ukraine's martial law provisions and after Kravchenko left Ukraine overnight claiming to be on an official business trip abroad. Kravchenko's removal follows a public confrontation with the country's independent anti-corruption bodies over the NABU/SAP "Carthage" operation and his announcement of a suspicion notice against NABU director Semen Kryvonos.