The Wall Street Journal
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Putin proposes Trump–Xi trilateral on Ukraine; Kyiv and Europe excluded
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a trilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss ending the war in Ukraine on terms favourable to Moscow, with the Kremlin suggesting the APEC summit in Shenzhen as a venue. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed discussions are under way but said there is no clear understanding yet of the meeting or its agenda, while an unnamed US official told The Wall Street Journal that Trump has not yet agreed to participate. The proposed format does not include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a fact WSJ described as unprecedented and likely to alarm European capitals.
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Trump suspends Russia sanctions under "Graham Law" days before they were to take effect
President Donald Trump on October 16, 2026 signed an executive order suspending the application of sanctions, restrictions, and tariffs against Russia that had been due to take effect on October 18 under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act. Using a waiver provision in the law, Trump certified to Congress that the suspension serves the national interests of the United States. The order keeps the new measures formally on the books but does not apply them for now, while previously imposed US sanctions against Russia remain in force. Critics including the law's co-author Senator Richard Blumenthal and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the move; Russia's Kirill Dmitriev welcomed it as a "truly historic moment."
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Trump says Zelensky is 'not the person' the US should be dealing with, calls Ukrainian refinery strikes 'a disgrace'
In a Newsmax interview published on October 15, US President Donald Trump publicly broke with Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he is "not a big fan" of the Ukrainian president and that Zelensky "is not the person we should be dealing with." Trump said it is harder to negotiate with Zelensky than with Vladimir Putin, demanded Ukraine halt strikes on Russian oil refineries, called such strikes "a disgrace," and repeated his call for Ukrainian elections. Zelensky responded in Brussels the following day, saying he finds it easier to deal with Trump than with Putin and that Ukraine is ready to hold elections if Russia accepts a 60-day ceasefire.
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Zelensky says Ukraine will resume strikes on Russian oil refineries after US-requested pause
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the Financial Times that Ukraine is lifting its moratorium on strikes against Russian oil refineries. He said Ukraine had paused strikes on Russian energy infrastructure for three days at the request of the United States, but that during the pause Russia continued attacking Ukrainian energy, the United States did not provide advance warning of Russian ballistic strikes on Kyiv, and SpaceX restricted Starshield terminals to a 160 km/h speed threshold. Zelensky said he could agree to stop again only in exchange for additional Patriot interceptors.
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EU to allocate roughly €3 billion in extra military aid to Ukraine next week, Zelenskyy says
After a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on 11 October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the EU will allocate approximately €3 billion in additional military support to Ukraine during the week of 12–18 October, with the funds directed to drones and missiles. The call came just before a Russian Shahed drone hit a power station in Kyiv, and Zelenskyy noted that further strikes on energy infrastructure in the Kharkiv region followed an earlier US statement on an energy-related ceasefire.
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Ukrainian electronic warfare system 'Lima' diverts two Russian ballistic missiles over Kyiv
Two Russian ballistic missiles flying at hypersonic speed toward a government facility in Kyiv were diverted from their target in 2026 by the Ukrainian electronic warfare system "Lima," operated by the "Nichtna Varta" (Night Watch) unit, and fell into the Dnipro River, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing Ukrainian military sources. The system uses spoofing — flooding the airwaves with false navigation signals — to disorient incoming missiles. Around the same time, navigation apps on many Kyiv residents' phones showed their location as Peru, an effect WSJ described as an "electronic calling card" of the unit's work.
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ATESH: Russia rushes to protect logistics bridges in south and Belgorod from possible Ukrainian strikes
The ATESH partisan movement says Russia's Southern Military District has ordered urgent reinforcement of key bridges and logistics hubs in Rostov, Taganrog, Crimea and Belgorod oblasts. Protective measures include Rosgvardia posts, anti-drone nets and electronic warfare equipment. The report comes after Ukraine confirmed frontline use of the FP-7 ballistic missile and announced the FP-9 will be ready this autumn.
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Zelensky says Russia has shared jet-drone technology with North Korea
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia has transferred jet-drone technology to North Korea, in return for North Korea's prior assistance with missiles. The claim comes as Russia has sharply increased strikes using high-speed "Shahed" drones on Ukraine, which only military fighter aircraft have so far been able to intercept effectively.
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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.
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Zelensky announces first combat use of Ukrainian-made FP-7 ballistic missile
On 1 October, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the first combat use of the FP-7, a domestically developed tactical ballistic missile made by Ukrainian defense company Fire Point. He posted a launch video on social media but did not disclose the target, location, or outcome. The Wall Street Journal, citing its own sources, reported the missile was used against a target in Russian-occupied territory, though the success of the strike remains unclear.
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More than half of Ukraine's F-16s grounded by Belgian maintenance delays
A Wall Street Journal report says more than half of Ukraine's F-16 fighters are non-combat-ready because phased technical inspections carried out by Belgian contractor Sabena Aerospace Engineering under a U.S. contract are taking far longer than in the United States. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed to the Financial Times that roughly half the fleet is in long-term repair in Europe and said Ukraine wants to move most of that maintenance onto its own territory with Western support. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesman publicly disputed the 'catastrophically low' readiness framing, saying turnaround times are actually shortening.
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Four US House lawmakers urge Trump not to ease Russia sanctions, push for "Graham Law"
Four members of the Congressional Ukraine Support Group — Marcy Kaptur, Brian Fitzpatrick, Mike Quigley, and Joe Wilson — sent a bipartisan letter to President Donald Trump urging him not to weaken sanctions against Russia and instead to apply the recently signed "Graham Law." The appeal responds to reports that the Trump administration was weighing easing sanctions and restoring economic ties to Moscow in exchange for Russia releasing political prisoners. The letter argues that loosening sanctions would embolden Russia and prolong the war, and calls for swift action to increase economic pressure on Moscow.
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Ukrainian suspect in Nord Stream sabotage seeks asylum in Croatia to avoid extradition to Germany
Volodymyr Zhuravlov, a Ukrainian citizen suspected by German investigators of involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, has applied for political asylum in Croatia, his lawyer Mykola Katerynchuk said. The asylum request comes after a district court in Pula ruled to allow his extradition to Germany, a decision the defense is appealing. Zhuravlov justified the request by saying he would not receive a fair trial in Germany.
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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.
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Zelensky declares Ukraine ready for energy, grain and maritime ceasefires as Russia rejects energy proposal
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on 22 September 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met US President Donald Trump and announced Ukraine is ready for reciprocal ceasefires in energy, grain and maritime domains. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on 23 September that both sides expressed interest in a limited ceasefire, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the energy proposal and Russia's Vladimir Putin again insisted on maximalist war aims. The prospect of a trilateral meeting was left to the G20 summit in Miami on 14–15 December, where Putin's participation remains disputed.
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El Mundo reports CIA warning of Russian drone plot against Spain, France or Italy; Macron and Crosetto reject claim
Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that the CIA shared intelligence with several European governments about an alleged Russian drone operation targeting Spain, France, or Italy, with launches from containers hidden on civilian ships in international waters. French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto publicly rejected the report, with Macron saying the CIA did not inform French services about such an attack and Crosetto calling the El Mundo publication baseless.
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NATO's top Europe commander warns of rising Russian-linked sabotage, urges calm
NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, U.S. Air Force General Alexus Grinkevich, told Reuters the Alliance is increasing intelligence sharing in response to a wave of sabotage and other incidents likely linked to Russia. He urged calm, called NATO "the most powerful alliance in history" and assessed the risk of a limited Russian attack on NATO territory as "unlikely but cannot be ruled out." Grinkevich also rejected the assumption that Vladimir Putin could exploit depleted US long-range precision missile stockpiles to strike the Alliance.
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Zelenskyy discloses annual frontline figures, confirms readiness for trilateral summit with Trump and Putin
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, President Zelenskyy said Russia captured 890 km of Ukrainian territory in 2026 while Ukraine liberated 800 km, leaving roughly a 100 km net gain for Moscow. He also cited 270,000 Russian casualties this year and stated that "almost everything on the battlefield has stalled." Speaking after his 22 September meeting with Donald Trump in New York, Zelenskyy said he is ready to meet Putin with Trump's help, while the Kremlin's spokesman said there are no preconditions for a "peace track" and repeated that Zelenskyy could come to Moscow.
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Zelensky says Russia gained only 90–100 sq km net in 2026 at cost of 260,000–270,000 Russian casualties
In a Wall Street Journal interview during his US visit, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces captured around 890 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in 2026 while Ukraine's Defense Forces deoccupied around 800 square kilometers, leaving a net Russian gain of roughly 90–100 square kilometers at a cost he put at 260,000–270,000 Russian casualties.
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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.'