Steve Witkoff
Steve Witkoff is an American real estate businessman and long-time personal friend of Donald Trump. After Trump's return to the U.S. presidency in 2025, Witkoff was drawn into diplomatic efforts, serving as a special envoy for Middle East affairs and participating in indirect contacts related to Russia's war against Ukraine.
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Trump urges Zelensky to halt strikes on Russian diesel infrastructure, blames them for global shortage
On 13 September 2026, visiting his Doonbeg golf club during the Irish Open in County Clare, Ireland, US President Donald Trump called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop striking Russian diesel fuel infrastructure, saying those attacks are causing a global diesel shortage. Trump said the deficit stems from the Russia–Ukraine war and not from US actions in the Middle East, and noted he had already discussed the issue with Zelensky. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski publicly disagreed, and a senior European official briefed on US-mediated talks called the reasoning "absurd."
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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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Zelensky warns of retaliation if Russia hits Ukraine's energy system, proposes 'energy ceasefire' in talks
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on September 11 that Ukraine will respond "with dignity" if Russia strikes its energy system or causes blackouts this winter, while also outlining a negotiating alternative that includes an "energy ceasefire" and unblocking the Black Sea. He spoke during a conversation with journalist Fareed Zakaria at the Yalta European Strategy 2026 meeting and in a Telegram post, calling for continued prisoner exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children held in Russia.
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EU approves €6.1 billion credit for Ukraine to buy drones and Patriot missiles
The European Commission has formally approved a €6.1 billion credit tranche for Ukraine, earmarked for drones and missiles for Patriot air defense systems, including PAC-3 interceptors. The decision required five separate EU member-state derogations from standard procurement rules to allow EU funds to be used for arms purchases from third countries, including the United States, and for Ukrainian-made drones exceeding price thresholds.
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Trump–Putin call fuels peace hopes as Ukraine reports $27bn shortfall and deep drone strike hits Russia
US President Donald Trump said after a phone call with Vladimir Putin on 8 September that Putin wants a deal to end the war, raising the prospect of bilateral or trilateral leader-level meetings. US, Ukrainian and European officials publicly doubted Putin's seriousness, while Ukraine disclosed it needs an additional $27 billion to get through the year. The diplomatic activity coincided with a Ukrainian drone strike on a facility in Russia's Yamal region, described by Kyiv as its deepest inside Russia since 2022, and Russian attacks on multiple Ukrainian regions that killed at least six people.
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Russia hits Kyiv with massive missile and drone attack hours after Trump envoys leave
Russia launched a combined missile and drone assault on Kyiv overnight on September 7–8, striking the capital with ballistic and cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, and 166 strike drones. At least two people were killed, more than 50 civilian objects were damaged across multiple districts, and air defenses downed 175 of the incoming targets. The attack came shortly after US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner left the city following talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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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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Ukraine's military intelligence chief says Russia has resources to wage war through 2027–2028
Head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Oleh Ivashchenko, said in an interview with Ukrinform that Russia is using mercenaries from more than 40 countries and still has enough resources to continue the war through 2027 and 2028, despite a weakened economy, exhausted contract recruitment, and public opposition of more than 60%. He called for sanctions that genuinely work and for international cooperation to cut off supplies of electronics, machinery, and chemicals reaching Russia through intermediary companies.
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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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Russia strikes Kyiv and Boryspil airports as US envoys prepare to visit
In the night of September 4–5, Russia launched drone strikes across at least eight Ukrainian regions, with President Zelensky saying the attacks deliberately and for the first time in a long time targeted the Kyiv (Zhuliany) and Boryspil airports. Zelensky linked the airport strikes to discussions about the upcoming visit by US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. A drone hit a nine-story residential building in Boryspil, injuring two women, and a strike on an industrial enterprise in Kamianske killed and wounded civilians. Zelensky announced Ukraine would adjust its operations regarding Russian airspace the following week.
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Russian drone strike hits 9-story residential building in Boryspil, two women hospitalized
In the night of September 5, a Russian drone strike damaged a 9-story residential building in Boryspil, Kyiv Oblast, setting fire to the roof and an apartment. Two women were hospitalized with acoustic barotrauma and closed chest trauma. The Kyiv Oblast Military Administration initially reported no casualties before the head of the administration, Timur Tkachenko, confirmed the injuries.
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Russian drone strikes SBU headquarters in central Kyiv, hits building opposite Saint Sophia Cathedral
On September 4, a Russian drone struck the central building of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Volodymyrska Street in central Kyiv, opposite Saint Sophia Cathedral. A fire broke out and part of the floor structure and outer wall were destroyed. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the drone was directed at the office of acting SBU head Oleksandr Poklad, who was not in the building at the time, and ordered preparation of an adequate, tangible, and where possible mirror response.
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European Commission says it has received no US compensation request over Ukraine aid
The European Commission said on September 4 that it had not received any official US demand that Europe pay for American military assistance to Ukraine provided during Joe Biden's presidency. The statement came a day after President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that he would make such a demand. Commission spokespeople stressed that the EU and its member states are the leading donors of aid to Ukraine, totaling more than 220 billion euros.
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Trump's envoys Witkoff and Kushner to visit Moscow and Kyiv this weekend carrying war-ending proposal
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on the evening of September 4 that US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Moscow on Saturday September 5 and then to Kyiv on Sunday September 6, carrying a proposal to end the war. Zelensky said Ukraine would ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace and refrain from strikes during the visit, and called on Russia to reciprocate with silence. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House the same day that the envoys are bringing a peace proposal and described the mission as having a good chance of success.
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Budanov reveals years of back-channel contacts with Russia's GRU chief and Prigozhin, advises Zelensky against Donbas concessions
Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview with The New York Times published on 4 September that he maintained long-running contacts with Russian military intelligence chief Admiral Igor Kostyukov and the late Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. He advised President Volodymyr Zelensky not to accept any compromise on Donbas that would give Russia formal control over territory its military failed to seize on the battlefield.
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Zelensky announces preliminary dates for US envoy visits to Kyiv and Moscow
On September 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said preliminary dates have been agreed for meetings between representatives of US President Donald Trump and the warring sides, with visits planned for both Kyiv and Moscow. Zelensky said Ukraine expects the Kyiv meeting "in the coming days."
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Trump says he'll meet Putin only when Russia and Ukraine are ready to sign a peace deal
On September 2, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he is ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately, but wants the meeting to happen only when Russia and Ukraine are ready to conclude a peace agreement. Trump cited personal animosity between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin as the main obstacle to a deal, and suggested the war's end is "pretty close."