Topic: United States
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US warns allies of up to five-year delays in missile and air-defense deliveries after Iran war depleted stockpiles
The United States has told allies, including Ukraine, to expect delays of up to five years in deliveries of key missile systems and air-defense equipment because US forces depleted their own arsenals during a war with Iran. Germany, Eastern European buyers of US weapons and Japan are all affected, and the Pentagon's decision to prioritize rebuilding its own stockpiles is complicating Ukraine's efforts to secure additional Patriot interceptors ahead of a difficult winter.
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Trump signs 'Graham Act' imposing up to 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian energy
US President Donald Trump signed the 'Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026' on September 18, 2026 (overnight into September 19 Kyiv time). The law authorizes tariffs of up to 100% on imports from countries that remain among the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil and natural gas, and continues existing US sanctions against Iran. China, India, and Turkey are named as the most likely targets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Trump and Congress, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called the signing a 'truly historic day.'
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Pentagon weighs pulling up to 25,000 U.S. troops out of Europe in largest post-Cold War drawdown
The Pentagon is weighing a large-scale withdrawal of U.S. aircraft, ships, weapons and tens of thousands of military personnel from Europe, with one scenario envisioning roughly 25,000 troops removed — about a third of the 80,000-strong American contingent on the continent. Supreme Allied Commander Europe Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich is delivering his analysis to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on September 18, with a final recommendation due November 6. Lawmakers from both parties and European allies have warned the cuts could embolden Russia.
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DFC approves financing for Vodafone Ukraine and DTEK energy storage
The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) approved financing for Vodafone Ukraine to strengthen and modernize wartime telecommunications infrastructure, with the operator set to gain access to 5G networks built on what DFC describes as "trusted technology." The same DFC package includes a loan to DTEK for the construction of energy storage systems with a capacity of 200 MW / 400 MWh.
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U.S. House passes sweeping Russia and Iran sanctions bill, sending it to Trump
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, sending the legislation to President Donald Trump for signature. The bill imposes mandatory sanctions on Russian leadership, oligarchs, banks, energy firms and the shadow fleet, and authorizes tariffs of up to 100% on countries among the top five buyers of Russian oil and gas. Ukraine welcomed the measure; China, India and Russia sharply criticized it; Germany praised it; Hungary is seeking an exemption.
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U.S. DFC approves €85 million loan to DTEK for battery storage expansion in Ukraine
The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has approved an €85 million (approximately $97.5 million) loan to Ukrainian energy company DTEK to expand battery energy storage systems in Ukraine. The loan is part of a broader DFC investment package of more than $8 billion covering projects in Ukraine, Jordan, and several African countries, and is the largest DFC financing in Ukraine's energy sector since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
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US indicts five alleged Russian intelligence operatives for murder-for-hire and sabotage plots targeting Ukraine's allies
The US Department of Justice has charged five people it says are linked to Russian intelligence services with conspiracy to finance terrorism and, in three cases, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York allege the network recruited US-based individuals to surveil and kill Russian opposition figures in Washington and Lithuania, and coordinated sabotage attacks in European countries that support Ukraine. All five defendants remain at large; the Kremlin has rejected the allegations.
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Von der Leyen announces EU–Ukraine joint missile defense, Patriot procurement and SAFE-funded program in State of the Union
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her 16 September State of the Union address to announce that the EU will jointly develop an affordable modular missile defense system with Ukraine based on the Freyja project, launch a new program for joint projects with Ukrainian defense companies using remaining SAFE funds, and urgently deliver American Patriot interceptor missiles newly procured for Ukraine. She framed the package as the EU's strongest-ever support for Ukraine ahead of what she described as the harshest winter of the war.
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US imposes new sanctions on Russia's VTB Bank over Iran sanctions evasion
The US Treasury announced new sanctions on Russia's second-largest bank, VTB, accusing it of helping Iran circumvent existing restrictions. The measures are framed as part of a US pressure campaign on Tehran and supplement sanctions imposed on VTB in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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Half of Russia's largest diesel refineries cut or halt output after Ukrainian drone strikes
Three of Russia's six largest diesel-producing refineries have been forced to significantly cut or halt production in September following Ukrainian drone attacks, disrupting output from facilities that together account for roughly half of Russian diesel. The Kirishi (Kinef) refinery fully halted operations, while Volgograd and NORSI are running at about a quarter of normal capacity. U.S. President Donald Trump on 13 September urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop the strikes, attributing global diesel shortages and price increases to the Russia–Ukraine war rather than the U.S.–Iran conflict; Ukraine responded that it is ready for a ceasefire only if Russia also stops strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
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Trump announces Russia–Ukraine energy-strike deal; Kyiv says no agreement exists yet
On September 14, US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to mutually stop targeting each other's energy facilities. Neither Kyiv nor Moscow confirmed the claim. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to refrain from striking Russian infrastructure only if partners guarantee Russia would stop striking Ukrainian energy and other critical infrastructure, and he stressed no final deal exists.
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Trump says Ukraine may get license for "less modern" Patriot missiles
US President Donald Trump told journalists aboard his plane that Ukraine may receive a license to produce missiles for the Patriot air defense system, but only a "less modern" version. The remark represents a partial walk-back from an earlier framework he and President Volodymyr Zelensky had both described as "politically" resolved, and comes as Ukraine faces acute shortfalls in air-defense interceptors.
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Germany plans €3.4 billion purchase of US Tomahawk missiles and Typhon launchers
Germany's Ministry of Defence is preparing to allocate nearly €3.4 billion to buy American-made Tomahawk cruise missiles and Typhon launchers, according to an internal government planning document seen by Politico. The acquisition would give Germany its first ground-based long-range strike capability, which it currently lacks, and is framed by Berlin as a step to deter Russia.
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Zelensky says he may meet Trump in New York to push for energy and Black Sea ceasefire
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a telethon interview aired on September 14 that he may meet US President Donald Trump in New York on September 21–23 during the UN General Assembly high-level week. The talks would focus on an energy ceasefire and a pause in mutual strikes on the Black Sea ahead of winter, with Zelensky saying Ukraine is open to a maritime-plus-energy ceasefire even if Russia will not agree to a full end to the war.
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Kushner says most of Ukraine–Russia peace deal is ready, with territorial question the last obstacle
US special envoy Jared Kushner told the Yalta European Strategy forum in Kyiv on September 12 that most of a Ukraine–Russia peace agreement has been prepared, and that the territorial question — Ukraine's refusal to withdraw to the line Russia is demanding — is the remaining obstacle. He said he hopes to announce "next steps" in the talks within the next two weeks and expressed support for returning to a trilateral format. Kyiv has previously rejected Putin's demands that Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
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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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Ukraine's Sybiha urges strike-by-strike sanctions on Russia at Kyiv briefing with Poland's Sikorski
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, speaking at a joint briefing in Kyiv with Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, called on Western partners to impose new sanctions on Russia after every massive strike on Ukraine rather than waiting for large packages. He proposed an "Anti-Ballistic Package" targeting Russian missile and drone production, said Western-made components continue to end up in Russian weapons, and framed Russian attacks as a threat to the EU and NATO and to Black Sea shipping.
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Ukraine's defence minister meets US senators, hands over list of military needs focused on air defence
Ukraine's Defence Minister Yevheniy Khmara met with US senators Tom Tillis, John Curtis and Alan Armstrong and presented a concrete list of Ukrainian needs to counter Russian aggression, with air defence as a priority. The talks covered the battlefield situation, Russian threats, Ukraine's air defence requirements and further support for the Defence Forces, including through the PURL and JUMPSTART weapons-supply mechanisms.
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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.