Volodymyr Zelensky
Volodymyr Zelensky is a Ukrainian politician and former actor who was elected President of Ukraine in 2019. Before entering politics he gained fame as a comedian and producer, notably starring in the television series "Servant of the People", in which he played a schoolteacher who becomes president. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 he has led the country's wartime leadership and become the principal international spokesperson for Ukraine.
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Zelensky says Ukraine ready for Black Sea safe-passage deal, awaits Russia's response
Speaking at the sixth summit of the International Crimea Platform on 23 September, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine has agreed to a regime of safe passage for vessels in the Black Sea and is waiting for Russia's official reply through mediators. Egypt, India and Turkey have submitted written proposals, and Zelensky linked the disruption of Black Sea exports of grain, fertilizers, diesel and oil to Russia's 2014 occupation and militarization of Crimea.
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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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Polish and Belarusian foreign ministers meet in New York, first at this level since 2016
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski met Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, describing the encounter as a "breakthrough" in bilateral relations. According to Sikorski, the meeting was the first at this level between Poland and Belarus likely since 2016. Topics included the border situation, regional security, and Sikorski's request that Belarus not allow Russia to launch drones and missiles through its territory. Sikorski also announced Poland will soon open a new embassy building in Minsk.
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Rubio to meet Lavrov in New York on Wednesday during UN General Assembly
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in New York on Wednesday, September 23, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. The meeting comes a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky met President Donald Trump in New York, and against statements from both Moscow and Washington suggesting no ceasefire is currently in place.
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Rubio says no Ukraine-Russia energy ceasefire yet, but both sides interested in limited deal
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there is currently no energy ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia, but that both sides have expressed interest in a limited ceasefire covering energy and grain. Speaking after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Rubio said the war would end through negotiations rather than a decisive military victory, and that US President Donald Trump remains ready to mediate. The comments come a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Trump in New York with energy ceasefire among the main topics.
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Zelensky meets Japanese PM Takaichi in New York, invites her to Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week in New York. Zelensky thanked Japan for its ongoing support during Russia's war and invited Takaichi to visit Kyiv and the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, which Japan helped restore after a Russian drone strike.
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Tsikhanouskaya at UNGA: Lukashenka ready to provide Belarusian territory for renewed attacks on Ukraine
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York that Alyaksandr Lukashenka is prepared to give Vladimir Putin Belarusian territory, logistics and infrastructure for attacks on Ukraine from the northern border, and that hopes of separating the two leaders are futile. She warned that Belarusian infrastructure, including antennas used to direct drones, is already being used by Russia, and that retransmitters are being installed along the border with EU countries as well as Ukraine, meaning provocations could be aimed at Europe. She also said 500–600 Belarusian enterprises produce optics and microchips and procure components in circumvention of sanctions for Russia's military machine.
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Macron at UNGA calls for more interceptor missiles for Ukraine and a 'double moratorium' on strikes
French President Emmanuel Macron used his September 22 address to the 81st UN General Assembly in New York to call for more interceptor missiles for Ukraine ahead of winter, propose a "double moratorium" on strikes against energy and civilian infrastructure and on hostilities in the Black Sea, and urge reform of the UN Security Council. He framed Russia's war on Ukraine as part of a "new era of barbarity" and said "there can be no peace without justice." On the sidelines he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump to discuss the moratorium and a winter support package.
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Zelensky tells IMF's Georgieva in New York that Fund will help Ukraine secure part of 2027 financing
President Volodymyr Zelensky met IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York on September 22, and said the IMF will help Ukraine find part of the funds needed for its financial stability in 2027. Zelensky told Georgieva that the Verkhovna Rada had already passed some of the legislation required by partners and that the remaining laws would be adopted by year's end.
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EU extends Ukraine-related sanctions three years but drops Usmanov and Fridman in compromise
EU ambassadors agreed on 22 September to extend the bloc's individual sanctions related to Ukraine's territorial integrity for 36 months, until 22 September 2029, in a compromise that removes Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list. Latvia, the only holdout, lifted its veto and abstained, and announced it will impose its own national sanctions against the two men.
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Zelensky and Trump meet in New York: energy ceasefire, Patriot production and a push to end the war before winter
On September 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York. Zelensky proposed a mutual energy ceasefire, raised licensing of Patriot interceptor missile production in Ukraine, and said he is ready to meet Vladimir Putin with Trump's help. Trump said the war will end "sooner than people realize" and warned he is ready to use the newly-signed "Graham law" sanctions against Russia.
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Ukrainian drones strike Kuibyshev refinery in Russia's Samara region, causing large fire
On the night of 22 September 2026, Ukrainian drones attacked the Kuibyshevsky oil refinery in Samara Oblast, Russia, igniting a large-scale fire. Ukraine's General Staff and the Unmanned Systems Forces confirmed the strike, with the Unmanned Systems Forces stating the distance to the target exceeded 1,000 km. The same night, Ukrainian forces also struck the Bashneft-UNPZ refinery in Ufa.
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Former Ukrainian prosecutor general Kravchenko fired from prosecution service after failing to return from abroad
Former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who left Ukraine on a self-arranged five-day business trip in mid-September, had not returned to work at the Office of the Prosecutor General by 14:00 on 21 September, three days after his trip officially ended. He had already been suspended by the president on 14 September and dismissed by parliament on 15 September, and on 21 September he was formally removed from the prosecution service by acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalsky.
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EU Coreper fails to extend Russia sanctions as Slovakia and France push to delist oligarchs
EU ambassadors meeting on 21 September failed to reach consensus on extending the bloc's individual sanctions regime against Russia, which covers roughly 3,000 individuals and entities including Vladimir Putin. Slovakia and France insisted on delisting sanctioned oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman; a compromise deal that would have extended the regime for 36 months in exchange for delisting them collapsed after Latvia blocked it. Coreper scheduled a further meeting for the morning of 22 September, hours before the midnight deadline at which the entire regime would lapse without unanimous renewal. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha publicly called any delisting unacceptable and a wrong signal to Moscow.
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Russia hits 10 Ukrainian oblasts in massive overnight drone salvo; Zelensky links it to signals of war expansion
Russian forces launched 172 strike drones at Ukraine overnight on 20–21 September, hitting 10 oblasts and damaging civilian and energy infrastructure. President Volodymyr Zelensky described a strike on Zaporizhzhia as "harsh and targeted" and said Russia is sending signals about readiness to expand the war, tying the attack to upcoming UN General Assembly diplomacy.
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Russian drones hit Zaporizhzhia, damaging heritage-listed university building, shopping mall, and apartment blocks
Russian drone strikes hit Zaporizhzhia overnight on September 21, 2026, damaging two nine-story residential buildings, the Intrade shopping mall on Soborny Avenue, and three buildings of Zaporizhzhia National University, including a direct hit on its 1902 heritage-listed Building No. 3. Most Ukrainian sources report five civilians wounded, though later updates cite six. The strike was part of a nationwide overnight barrage of 172 strike UAVs and other munitions, with hits recorded at 14 locations across Ukraine.
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Ukrainian drone strike halts Moscow oil refinery on day of State Duma vote
On the night of 20 September, Ukrainian forces struck the Gazpromneft-Moscow refinery in the Kapotnya district of Moscow with a combined drone and missile attack, setting both primary crude distillation units ablaze and forcing a full halt of oil processing. Ukraine's General Staff says cumulative strikes have now knocked out more than 45% of Russia's designed oil refining capacity. The attack fell on the day of Russia's State Duma election, with Moscow authorities not activating air raid sirens or SMS warnings, an omission analysts at the Institute for the Study of War linked to a priority on voter turnout over civilian safety.
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General Staff: 238 clashes recorded in past day, heaviest fighting on Kostiantynivka and Pokrovsk directions
Ukraine's General Staff reported 238 combat clashes across the front over the past day, the 1671st day of what Ukraine terms Russia's full-scale armed aggression. The Kostiantynivka and Pokrovsk directions saw the most intense fighting. Russian forces carried out 91 airstrikes, dropped 295 guided aerial bombs, used 10,237 kamikaze drones and shelled Ukrainian positions and settlements 2,903 times.
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Trump presses Zelenskyy to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries ahead of New York meeting
On September 20, US President Donald Trump repeatedly pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries during a phone call, citing rising global diesel prices. The two leaders agreed to meet in New York on September 22 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, where Trump is expected to push for an energy ceasefire. On September 21, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Russia had "lost control" of its diesel industry because of the war with Ukraine and called the war "senseless and endless," while Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready for de-escalation steps only if Russia halted attacks on Ukrainian energy and critical infrastructure.
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Zelensky and Trump agree to meet in New York after phone call; Trump presses on Russian oil strikes
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with US President Donald Trump on the evening of 20 September, during which the two leaders agreed to a personal meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Zelensky publicly framed the call as constructive, thanked Trump for the recent visit of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Kyiv, and for signing the Lindsey Graham sanctions law against Russia. According to Axios sources, Trump repeatedly asked Zelensky to stop Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, citing rising global diesel prices.