Kremlin
The Kremlin is the informal name for the Government of the Russian Federation, derived from the Moscow Kremlin complex that houses the presidential administration and residence. It is widely used as a metonym for the Russian executive power and its decisions in foreign affairs.
-
Zelensky offers to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries if Russia stops hitting Ukrainian energy
On 11 October, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is ready to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries and other energy infrastructure if Russia reciprocally halts strikes on Ukrainian energy. The offer came the same day U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to an immediate 'energy ceasefire.' Zelensky said the U.S. announcement was news to him and that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had received the relevant orders. The same day, Russia struck the TEC-5 thermal power plant in Kharkiv, continuing a week in which Zelensky said Russian forces launched roughly 1,450 aerial bombs, 75 missiles and more than 1,640 strike drones at Ukraine.
-
Trump announces Russia diesel deal after Putin call; Ukraine and European leaders condemn move
On 9 October 2026, US President Donald Trump announced he had spoken by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and agreed to lift US sanctions on Russian diesel, allowing large-scale exports to American and global markets. The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License No. 135 authorising the imports until 7 April 2027. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sharply criticised the decision, calling it a "weak" and "unfair and dishonest" birthday gift to Putin that gives Russia additional billions for the war, while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, the UK, Germany, France, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, and US Democrats all condemned or distanced themselves from the deal. Talks between Ukrainian, US and European delegations in Miami ended early after the announcement, and a senior Ukrainian official told the Financial Times that long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries would continue.
-
Miami talks on Ukraine end after one day as Trump announces Russian diesel deal with Putin
On 9 October, US, Ukrainian, European and NATO representatives met in Miami to discuss ways to end Russia's war before winter, but the planned two-day meeting ended after a single day. The Ukrainian delegation cut short its visit and headed home after President Trump announced a phone-call deal with Vladimir Putin to supply Russian diesel fuel to US and world markets, prompting sharp criticism from Kyiv.
-
Trump tells Ukraine to elect a new president, a day after announcing US-Russia diesel deal
On October 10, US President Donald Trump said Ukraine needs a new president who can make a deal to end the war with Russia, accusing Volodymyr Zelensky of choosing not to end the conflict despite repeated opportunities. The remarks came a day after Trump announced a deal struck during a phone call with Vladimir Putin under which Russia will supply large volumes of diesel fuel to US and world markets, with the US issuing a Treasury license suspending the relevant sanctions until April 7, 2027. Zelensky condemned the diesel deal as weakness and a "gift to Putin for his birthday," and said the Ukrainian negotiating team meeting in Miami had been used as a "screen." Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said Zelensky has the support of the Ukrainian people and that only Ukrainians can decide who leads them.
-
Former German Chancellor Schröder celebrated Putin's 74th birthday in Moscow, drawing condemnation from Berlin and Brussels
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder joined Vladimir Putin at Putin's home on 7 October to mark Putin's 74th birthday, according to the Kremlin. The visit triggered sharp criticism from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, senior Bundestag figures, EU leaders, and members of Schröder's own SPD, while some in the SPD defended the trip as a possible opening for mediation. Schröder travelled to Moscow in connection with the Russian subsidiary of the German Globus hypermarket chain, of whose supervisory board he is a member.
-
Ukrainian delegation heads to Washington for two days of talks as Rubio says diplomatic end to war is currently "unattainable"
A Ukrainian delegation is to travel to the United States on 9–10 October for two days of talks with American officials, including US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with European partners also expected to join. The trip comes as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Greek outlet Kathimerini that a diplomatic end to Russia's war against Ukraine is currently "unattainable," describing the conflict as a "strategic deadlock" driven by Russia's demand for full control over Donbas, which Kyiv rejects. President Volodymyr Zelensky, visiting the site of an October 7 Russian missile strike on a residential building in Pryluky, publicly rejected Rubio's framing and called for stronger sanctions and pressure on Russia rather than economic engagement with Moscow.
-
Russia launches massive combined missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight on October 6–7, hitting Kyiv and multiple oblasts
Russia launched a large-scale combined missile and drone strike on Ukraine overnight on October 6–7, deploying ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, and more than 130 strike drones. Main strike directions were Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts. Ukrainian air defense said it shot down or suppressed 161 aerial targets by 09:00 on October 7. Multiple civilians were killed across several cities, including the destruction of a residential building in Pryluky, Chernihiv Oblast. President Zelensky, who had warned the previous day based on intelligence that Russia was preparing a massive strike, described it as one of the "most vile" and said energy infrastructure was a key target.
-
Zelensky says Ukraine ready for trilateral talks with US and Russia by end of October
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine is prepared to join a US-proposed trilateral technical-level meeting with the United States and Russia before the end of October, with the United Arab Emirates or another American-suggested venue under consideration. He made the statement at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Kyiv on October 4, a day after confirming Ukraine's readiness to the American negotiating group. Kyiv is now waiting for Moscow's response to the proposal.
-
US-Russia Ukraine talks expand to include multibillion-dollar Lukoil asset deal
US-Russia negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine have expanded to include a multibillion-dollar deal involving international assets of Russian oil company Lukoil. Vladimir Putin raised the issue during a September 5 meeting with US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin, proposing it as a way to show Russians they can do business with the United States. The deal, covering oil fields, refineries, and gas stations worldwide, requires approval from both the US government and the Kremlin.
-
Zelenskyy: Ukraine will intensify strikes on Russian oil refineries, says FP-9 missile ready this autumn
In a wide-ranging Reuters interview, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine will step up strikes on Russian oil refineries in response to a new Russian aerial campaign, citing intercepted documents that he said point to a Putin-approved "new doctrine" allowing strikes on a broader range of civilian targets ahead of winter. He confirmed first combat use of the domestically produced FP-7 ballistic missile this week and said the longer-range FP-9, which he said can reach Moscow, will be ready this autumn. Zelenskyy also said he is ready to meet Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Miami in December while urging the United States not to normalize relations with Moscow until peace is restored.
-
German investigation names Russian biker as organizer of failed drone attack on Ukrainian plane at Leipzig airport
A drone carrying 1.8 kg of Semtex struck the wing of a parked Ukrainian An-124 cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport on the night of August 5, 2026, but failed to detonate. A joint investigation by The Telegraph and Welt am Sonntag identified Russian biker Oleg Levushkin as the suspected organizer and Belarusian agent Andrei Karshakov as the suspected direct executor. On September 1, Germany officially accused Russia of the hybrid attack and announced countermeasures, including closing the Russian consulate general in Bonn.
-
Russia's weekly seaborne oil revenue hits record $2.75 billion since full-scale invasion
Russia's seaborne crude export earnings reached $2.75 billion in the week to September 27, the highest weekly figure since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, driven by higher volumes and rising Urals and ESPO prices. The jump comes as Ukrainian drone strikes have reshaped Russia's export mix and Moscow's own diesel export ban partially offsets the gains.
-
Estonia blames Russian special services for sabotage at Milrem Robotics building in Tallinn
Estonia's Security Police concluded that the 14–15 August fire at the Tallinn building of defense company Milrem Robotics — a supplier of unmanned ground vehicles to Ukraine — was an act of sabotage ordered by Russian special services. Three Latvian suspects have been detained and Estonia summoned Russia's chargé d'affaires on 29 September; the Kremlin rejected the accusations as unfounded.
-
Berlin march demands humanitarian access for occupied Oleshky
The Ukrainian civic movement Vitsche Berlin organized a march through central Berlin on 28 September under the slogan "Stop the Russian occupation of Oleshky," calling for humanitarian aid and safe evacuation of residents of Russian-occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged a "critical situation" in the city but blamed Ukraine, while Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation accused Russia of obstructing aid and shifting responsibility.
-
Putin envoy Dmitriev holds "constructive" talks with US officials in Washington on Ukraine war and energy cooperation
Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin's special envoy and head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund RDIF, met US officials in Washington on September 28 to discuss ending the war in Ukraine and possible post-war US-Russia energy initiatives. A US official described the talks as "constructive." The visit followed Donald Trump's meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky at the UN General Assembly in New York on September 22 and a separate series of meetings between Dmitriev and US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
-
Russia offers $20 million bounty for location of Ukrainian drone commander 'Madyar' Brovdi
The Wall Street Journal reports that Russia has placed a $20 million bounty through post-Soviet criminal networks for information leading to the location of Robert 'Madyar' Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces. Russian courts have convicted Brovdi in absentia on terrorism charges. Brovdi told WSJ his unit accounts for about one-third of Russian losses over the past year, despite making up only 2.5% of Ukraine's armed forces.
-
Budanov: Ukraine needs expanded Starlink access and Patriot interceptors to counter Russian missile strikes
Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, said in an interview with Newsforce that Ukraine urgently needs expanded access to Starlink and Starshield satellite communications as well as interceptor missiles for Patriot air defence systems, in order to counter and strike Russian missile systems. A fragment of the interview was published on Budanov's Telegram channel on Sunday, 27 September.
-
Trump pushes for Ukraine-Russia deal before winter; Zelenskyy says Putin shows no intent to end war
After a September 22 meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, US President Donald Trump said on September 26 he expects Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin to "make a deal before the difficult winter." In an evening address the same day, Zelenskyy countered that Putin is not planning to end the war and keeps finding excuses to avoid meetings and a trilateral format.
-
Ukraine says ready for US-mediated trilateral with Russia; Zelensky names UAE as proposed venue
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on September 25 that the United States has proposed a trilateral meeting with Ukraine and Russia at the technical level, with the United Arab Emirates suggested as the venue. Ukraine is waiting for Washington to propose a date. The Kremlin confirmed contacts are underway. Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said Ukraine is ready for the format but saw no signals of Russian willingness to engage.
-
Putin envoy meets Trump administration officials in New York during UN General Assembly
Kirill Dmitriev, an envoy of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, traveled to the United States for meetings with representatives of President Donald Trump's administration, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The talks took place in New York during the UN General Assembly session and are described as a continuation of an earlier Kremlin meeting between Putin and US representatives. The visit comes as 50 countries and the European Union issued a joint statement at the UN calling on Russia to cease fire — a statement the United States did not join.