Trump
Donald Trump is an American politician and businessman who served as the 45th and 47th president of the United States. He won the 2024 presidential election, returning to the White House after his first term from 2017 to 2021. Before entering politics he was known as a real estate developer and the founder of the Trump Organization. His second term has featured a major reorientation of US foreign policy, including on the war in Ukraine and transatlantic relations.
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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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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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Trump claims US has 'virtually unlimited' ammunition stockpiles, demands Europe repay Ukraine and NATO aid
On 3 September, US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social asserting that the United States has virtually unlimited stockpiles of medium- and high-class ammunition and is producing at unprecedented volumes. He said the US is currently keeping munitions for itself rather than selling them to allies, but that sales would resume soon. Trump also accused the Biden administration of having given Ukraine more ammunition than the US used in Iran, claimed hundreds of billions of dollars were transferred free of charge to Ukraine and NATO, and said the US will demand reimbursement from Europe, 'albeit with some delay.' The post was directed against media reporting on US ammunition shortages during the Iran operation.
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Ukrainian F-16 pilots running out of air-to-air missiles, resorting to cannons against Russian targets
Ukrainian F-16 pilots are facing an acute shortage of air-to-air missiles during some daytime combat sorties, forcing them to rely on the aircraft's built-in 20mm cannons to engage Russian aerial targets. The commander of Ukraine's 107th Air Wing, known by the callsign "Phantom," confirmed the shortage publicly, warning that "any aircraft without armament is useless," and called for increased deliveries of air-to-air and Patriot interceptor missiles, as well as efforts to boost or localize production.
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Putin says Russia and Ukraine must negotiate peace bilaterally, calls Zelenskyy's airspace warning 'state terrorism'
Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on September 3, Vladimir Putin said Russia and Ukraine must negotiate an end to the war directly between themselves, with other countries only supporting, and claimed there is a chance for a peaceful settlement. He described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's warnings that Russian airspace is unsafe for civil aviation as state terrorism that complicates peace talks, and accused Ukraine's Western partners of silence. His comments come a day after Ukraine formally notified the ICAO that Russian airspace is dangerous for civil aviation.
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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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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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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."
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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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Bessent tells Russia's Siluanov no economic cooperation possible until war in Ukraine ends
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov that no easing of economic restrictions or agreements on other matters are possible while Russia's war in Ukraine continues, in a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 finance ministers gathering in Asheville, North Carolina. The meeting took place as European representatives expressed dissatisfaction with Siluanov's first in-person attendance at a G20 financial meeting since the start of the full-scale invasion.
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Musk remains opposed to letting Ukraine use Starlink for strikes on Russia despite talks with Fedorov, sources say
Elon Musk has engaged in talks with former Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov about allowing Starlink to be used to control drone strikes on Russian territory, but remains opposed after what one source described as "extremely unsuccessful" negotiations. According to sources cited by Kyiv Independent, Musk does not believe that granting such permission would help end the war and wants a deal rather than escalation. The Financial Times, citing Fedorov's account, earlier reported Musk was willing to allow strikes conditional on White House approval — a version of events that, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, prompted Donald Trump to accuse him of "deceiving" him.