Institute for the Study of War
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is an American think tank founded in 2007 that focuses on analyzing armed conflicts and publishes daily assessments of the course of Russia's war against Ukraine.
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Budanov: new round of Ukraine–US–Russia peace talks being prepared for October
Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov said on September 12 that a new round of trilateral Ukraine–US–Russia peace talks is being prepared for October. He confirmed the trilateral format but did not disclose a possible venue, and said Ukraine is preparing for an October meeting. The statement came on the sidelines of the YES conference in Kyiv.
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Medvedev confirms United Russia's commitment to protracted war in Ukraine
Dmitry Medvedev, head of United Russia and deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said in an interview with Vedomosti published on 10 September that Russia must continue the war in Ukraine, pursue long-term militarization of society, and demand increasing economic sacrifices from Russian citizens. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) read the remarks as an official confirmation by United Russia of a protracted-war course ahead of September State Duma elections.
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Norwegian PM says drone nearly hit Zelensky's plane in Moldova; Ukrainian side calls claim 'exaggerated'
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said on September 9 that a drone nearly struck the plane carrying President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as it departed Moldova for Oslo on September 8, where Zelenskyy was to attend the funeral of King Harald V. Norwegian and Ukrainian officials later said the flight was delayed by a Moldovan airspace closure caused by Russian drones, and that it remained unknown how close the drones came to the aircraft. Zelenskyy attended the funeral on September 9 and left Norway shortly afterward.
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Zelensky says he expects to meet Trump in late September, with missile defense set as main topic
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on September 8 that he expects to meet US President Donald Trump in the 20s of September, with the supply of American anti-ballistic interceptor missiles as the central item. The announcement came the morning after a massive Russian strike on Kyiv in which most ballistic missiles could not be intercepted, and follows a visit to Kyiv and Moscow by US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that yielded a short-lived mutual moratorium on capital strikes.
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US envoys visit Kyiv for first time, signal return to trilateral talks but report no breakthrough
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to Kyiv on 6 September 2026 for their first visit to Ukraine since Donald Trump's second presidential term began, after meeting Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 5 September. They held three rounds of talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, joined in the second round by national security advisers from France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and announced a planned return to the US–Ukraine–Russia trilateral format and US support for a 'winter package' of assistance for Ukraine. Zelensky reported receiving a message that 'the Russians are ready to negotiate' but remained sceptical, while the Kremlin, Bloomberg sources and the Institute for the Study of War said the Moscow talks produced no substantive concessions.
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Ukraine reports 245 combat clashes; Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka directions under heaviest pressure
Ukraine's General Staff reported 245 combat clashes on the front line over the past day, the 1656th day of Russia's full-scale armed aggression. The Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka directions together accounted for 60 of those clashes. The General Staff also reported Russian personnel losses of 1,390 over the same period.
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Ukraine's General Staff reports 240 combat clashes in a day; heaviest fighting on Pokrovsk axis
Ukraine's General Staff reported 240 combat clashes over the previous day on day 1654 of Russia's full-scale invasion, with the heaviest fighting on the Pokrovsk direction where 38 Russian attacks were repelled. Russian forces carried out 100 airstrikes, dropped 294 guided aerial bombs, used 10,334 kamikaze drones, and conducted 3,048 shellings of Ukrainian settlements and positions. Separately, the Khartiia corps reported that Ukrainian forces liberated an additional 4 square kilometres on the Kupiansk axis in Kharkiv region.
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Rubio confirms US–Ukraine talks on Patriot production license, but warns it won't solve near-term shortfall
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on September 2 that Washington is negotiating with Kyiv over a license to produce Patriot air defense missiles in Ukraine, while cautioning that even if granted, ramping up production would take years and would not address Ukraine's immediate need for interceptors. Rubio cited global demand for Patriot missiles and the need to preserve US stockpiles, and said the US is open in principle to partnering on Ukrainian drone technology but has no announcement to make.
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Ukraine asks EU to finance Patriot missiles from €90 billion loan; von der Leyen says review is "moving in the right direction"
Ukraine has formally asked the European Commission to use several billion euros from the EU's €90 billion support loan to finance PAC-3 interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed receipt of the request on 2 September in Brussels, ahead of a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and said EU member states are reviewing it. Because PAC-3 missiles are produced in the United States, the purchase requires a formal exemption from the loan's "buy European" rule, with the final decision resting with member states.
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Texty.org.ua analysis: Russian frontline advance stalls as losses hit record high
Ukrainian outlet Texty.org.ua published an analysis arguing that Russia's frontline advance in Ukraine has effectively stalled while Russian personnel losses have risen sharply, framing the trend as moving toward Ukrainian victory. The assessment cites ISW estimates of minimal Russian advance rates in July 2026 and record monthly losses of nearly 43,000 troops, alongside localized Ukrainian counteroffensive gains in early August.