Topic: European Union
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Ukraine's defense minister asks EU for Patriot missiles and funding for drone interceptors
Ukraine's Defense Minister Yevheniy Khmara addressed EU defense ministers on September 28 at a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, asking member states to transfer part of their Patriot missile stockpiles to Ukraine and to help finance Ukrainian production of interceptors for jet-powered Shahed-type drones. He also requested air-to-air missiles, man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), and F-16 ammunition, and called on partners to move EU loan funds planned for 2027 into 2026.
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Ukraine's farmers face funding crunch as Black Sea exports remain blocked, minister warns
Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotsky has warned that Ukrainian farmers are running out of money, with a more severe funding crisis likely in spring due to the continued blocking of Black Sea grain exports. The European Commission declined Ukraine's request for €220 million in farmer support, and Ukraine is instead counting on a $250 million concessional loan from the World Bank.
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EU drafts individual membership roadmaps for Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Albania
The EU is preparing four individual accession "roadmaps" for Montenegro, Ukraine, Moldova and Albania that would set out indicative timelines for completing accession negotiations and for closing negotiating clusters, alongside a separate pre-enlargement policy review due on 6 October. Two senior EU officials described the plans to Politico, and a European Commission spokesperson confirmed the roadmaps would define the path to completing membership talks with a clear list of priorities, timelines and results. Seven other candidates are excluded from this round.
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Ukraine suspends non-priority spending as PM warns of critical fiscal squeeze
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved a decision on 28 September prioritizing state expenditures toward defense, pensions, social payments and public-sector salaries, while suspending non-critical construction, reconstruction, capital repairs and beautification projects until the end of the war. Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky said part of the pressure stems from delayed international financing, in part because Ukraine has not fulfilled some of its commitments to international partners. The government has identified about $7 billion through internal optimization against a reported $27 billion Ministry of Defense deficit.
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Russian drone strikes Kyiv's National Academy of Sciences building, killing at least two
On 28 September 2026, a Russian jet-powered drone struck the Presidium building of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) in central Kyiv around 13:30, causing a large fire and partially destroying the second and third floors of the historic structure. At least two people were killed — including the personal assistant of NASU Vice-President Volodymyr Horbulin — and multiple others were injured; some NASU staff remained unreachable after the strike. President Zelensky promised a Ukrainian response, Foreign Minister Sybiha called on UNESCO to strip Russia of voting rights, and the strike drew condemnation from European leaders and institutions.
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EU member states agree on how to release €6.6 billion from European Peace Fund for Ukraine
EU member states agreed on conditions for releasing €6.6 billion from the European Peace Fund for Ukraine, ending a freeze imposed since spring 2023 by Hungary's veto. The announcement was made on 25 September by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, who called the deal "good news for Ukraine and bad news for Russia." The deal still requires formal adoption by EU defense ministers.
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Swiss to vote September 27 on enshrining stricter neutrality in constitution
Swiss voters head to the polls on Sunday, September 27 to decide whether to enshrine a stricter definition of the country's centuries-old neutrality in the constitution. A 'yes' vote would effectively bar Switzerland from imposing sanctions on Russia unless approved by the UN Security Council and rule out military cooperation with alliances like NATO outside cases of direct attack. Polls indicate nearly two-thirds of voters oppose the initiative.
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Finland approves Special Tribunal on Russian aggression and Compensation Commission, sends proposals to parliament
Finland's government endorsed the creation of a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine and an International Compensation Commission for Ukraine, transmitting its proposals to the Finnish parliament. The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the decisions on X. Finland becomes the 21st state to join the tribunal agreement.
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EU extends Ukraine sanctions for three years but drops Usmanov and Fridman, prompting Ukrainian criticism
On 22 September, the EU Council extended Ukraine-related sanctions for 36 months until 22 September 2029, the first time the regime has been renewed for three years instead of the usual six-month cycle. In the same decision, the EU removed Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list. Ukraine called the delisting "shameful" and unjustified, and the Baltic states announced national sanctions in response. A day later, on 23 September, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev pardoned French citizen Martin Ryan, who had been sentenced to ten years in prison on espionage charges that France rejects.
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EU's Kallas calls for Black Sea attack moratorium to restore Ukrainian grain exports
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas called at a UN General Assembly event chaired by the EU for a moratorium on attacks in the Black Sea to restore Ukrainian grain exports. She said Ukrainian maritime grain shipments have effectively halted since August 2025 because of escalating Russian attacks, and that nearly 90% of Ukraine's agricultural exports move through the Black Sea corridor.
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51 UN member states call on Russia to agree to unconditional ceasefire; US does not join
On 23 September, during the High-Level Week of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, a group of UN member states issued a joint statement calling on Russia to agree to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire and engage in meaningful peace negotiations. The statement, presented by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, notes that Ukraine had already agreed to such a ceasefire since March 2025. The United States did not join the appeal.
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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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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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EU's Kallas to propose sanctions over Russian Duma vote on occupied Ukrainian territories
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas announced she will propose sanctions against individuals who facilitated holding Russian State Duma elections on Ukraine's occupied territories. She made the announcement in a post on X, describing the vote as a "simulation of democracy" and another serious blow to Russian democracy.
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EU to launch joint projects with Ukraine using at least €10 billion in remaining SAFE funds
The European Commission announced a new program of joint projects with Ukraine financed by remaining SAFE instrument funds, with a minimum of €10 billion available. Separately, the EU is allocating €3.3 billion to Ukraine for defense needs.
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Two Ukrainian firms pass combat trials of new interceptors for jet 'Shaheds', Zelensky says
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced at the Carpathian Eight summit on September 18 that two Ukrainian companies have successfully completed combat trials of new interceptors capable of shooting down Russian jet-powered "Shahed" drones. Contracts with the firms are already being signed, and 67 companies overall are working on solutions. Zelensky said he had discussed addressing funding shortfalls with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
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EU draft budget for 2028–2034 includes €100 billion for Ukraine, diplomat says figure not questioned
The EU's draft Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028–2034 includes a planned €100 billion allocation for Ukraine, according to reporting by European Pravda. A senior EU diplomat familiar with the budget preparations said the figure is not currently being questioned among member states. A significant portion of the EU leaders' summit on 15–16 October in Brussels was to be devoted to the long-term budget.
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EU to send Ukraine additional €3.3 billion for missiles and drones
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced, after a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, that the EU would allocate an additional €3.3 billion to Ukraine for missiles and drones, to be disbursed on Friday, 18 September, under the Ukraine Support Loan program. The announcement was paired with a proposed new joint EU–Ukraine defense initiative, funded through remaining SAFE program funds, aimed at developing a European air and missile defense system based on the joint Freya/Freyja anti-ballistic system.
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Zelensky announces another successful test of Ukrainian interceptor against jet-powered Shahed drones
On 17 September, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported a new successful test of a Ukrainian-made interceptor against Russian jet-powered Shahed-type drones, including at least one confirmed shoot-down. He said production would be scaled up, thanked the developers and military, and noted that contracts were being signed with two companies whose interceptors had passed combat trials.
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Norway to allocate 1 billion kroner through EU's Ukraine Facility, first non-EU contributor
Norway announced on September 17 that it will allocate 1 billion Norwegian kroner (approximately 90–92 million euros) through the EU's Ukraine Facility mechanism to support Ukraine's state budget and reforms in anti-corruption and energy. Norway becomes the first non-EU country to contribute to the mechanism. The announcement was made during European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos's visit to Norway.