Topic: Diplomacy
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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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Norwegian PM says drone nearly hit Zelensky's plane in Moldova; Ukrainian side calls claim 'exaggerated'
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said on September 9 that a drone nearly struck the plane carrying President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as it departed Moldova for Oslo on September 8, where Zelenskyy was to attend the funeral of King Harald V. Norwegian and Ukrainian officials later said the flight was delayed by a Moldovan airspace closure caused by Russian drones, and that it remained unknown how close the drones came to the aircraft. Zelenskyy attended the funeral on September 9 and left Norway shortly afterward.
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Ukraine's Diia portal opens four new claim categories in international Register of Damage
Ukraine's Diia portal launched four new categories of applications to the international Register of Damage for Ukraine (RD4U). The categories cover loss of access to medical care, loss of access to education, other violations of international law, and other economic losses. Applications are submitted through the Diia portal and forwarded automatically to the Register.
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At virtual Ramstein meeting, Germany announces Patriot interceptors and 'City Dome' shield for Ukraine
At the 36th Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting on 8 September, held virtually, Germany announced the urgent transfer of PAC-2 Patriot interceptors and additional AIM-9 missiles from Bundeswehr stocks, launched the 'City Dome' project to shield Ukrainian cities from drone and missile strikes, and committed to financing tens of thousands of long-range artillery shells. The UK pledged £100 million through PURL for air defense, the EU approved financing for 3.2 billion euros of Patriot missiles, and Ukraine outlined plans to contract around 1,000 Patriot missiles and several thousand additional IRIS-T missiles with partner support. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said civilian deaths in Ukraine are at their highest since May 2022 and warned that delays cost lives.
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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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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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Ukraine's Prosecutor General Kravchenko resigns after NABU searches expose alleged call-centre protection scheme
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko submitted his resignation on the evening of 7 September after anti-corruption investigators searched the Office of the Prosecutor General and exposed an alleged scheme to protect fraudulent call centres. The 'Carthage' operation by NABU and SAPO has led to the detention of several suspects, including Serhiy Kropyva, a deputy head of an OGP department, with bail set at 120 million hryvnia. President Zelensky said the resignation would be sent to the Verkhovna Rada.
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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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UN adopts Equal Earth map as Ukraine abstains over Crimea depiction
The UN General Assembly adopted the Equal Earth world map projection on September 4, with 164 states voting in favor and the United States against. Ukraine abstained because the map shows occupied Crimea separated from the rest of Ukraine in a lighter shade distinct from both Ukrainian and Russian coloring. Ukraine's Permanent Mission warned that the depiction could "open a Pandora's box" and contradict UN resolutions on Ukraine's territorial integrity.
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Lavrov calls Germany's response to Leipzig drone incident "the beginning of a real war"
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described Germany's reaction to an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport as "the beginning of a real war," drawing an analogy to pre-World War II diplomatic closures. Germany officially accused Russia on September 1 of orchestrating the incident, closed Russia's last consulate general in Bonn, and terminated the agreement for the "Russian House" in Berlin. Russia retaliated by announcing closures of German Goethe-Institut branches. No one was injured and Ukrainian Antonov aircraft were not damaged, though the An-124's cargo remains disputed.
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Russia hits Kyiv and Boryspil airports in overnight missile and drone attack
Russia struck Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast overnight on 5 September with ballistic missiles and a large drone salvo, damaging airports in Kyiv and Boryspil, residential buildings and civilian infrastructure. Five people were killed in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in the same wave of attacks. President Zelensky suggested the strikes on the airports may be a Kremlin reaction to discussions of a US visit to Ukraine.
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First EU–Ukraine Drone Alliance meeting set for 11 September in Brussels
The first meeting of the EU–Ukraine Drone Alliance is scheduled for 11 September in Brussels, bringing together EU and Ukrainian drone manufacturers with European Commission officials. European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius will attend, with 19 EU-side and 9 Ukrainian-side companies participating. The meeting will focus on assessing the current state of affairs, defining a timeline for action, and discussing initial measures aimed at accelerating the deployment of unmanned technologies and counter-drone systems across the EU.
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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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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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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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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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US Treasury Secretary says Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries deepening global energy shock
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries are deepening a global energy shock, in remarks on Fox News following two-day G20 finance ministers' meetings in North Carolina. Bessent attributed the shock both to the war in Ukraine — including Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure — and to the conflict in Iran, and defended his decision to engage with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov at the meeting.
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Spain to increase Patriot missile deliveries to Ukraine, foreign minister says
Spain will increase deliveries of missiles for Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced on 3 September at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Ireland. The announcement followed a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha on 2 September, during which Albares confirmed the increase and recalled Spain's role as a co-founder of a new air defence coalition for Ukraine.
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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.