Topic: World
-
Ukraine and Canada advance Drone Deal, first with a country on the American continent
President Zelensky and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney inspected drones in Alberta that will operate under a Ukraine–Canada Drone Deal, with the full agreement expected to be signed at the end of September during the UN General Assembly in New York. Under the deal, Canada is prepared to order large volumes of drones, with 30% of production transferred to Ukraine.
-
Poland scrambles twice in one day as Russian drones hit western Ukraine
On 10 September, Poland's Operational Command raised the readiness of its air forces twice in response to Russian jet-type drone activity over western Ukraine. Polish fighters, ground-based air defence and radar systems were activated, airspace restrictions were introduced in the east, SMS alerts were sent to residents of two border voivodeships, and flights at Lublin and Rzeszów airports were suspended. No violations of Polish airspace were recorded, and the alerts were cancelled once the threat had passed.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Ukraine tells EU it needs additional $27 billion by year-end, prompting surprise in Europe
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told European partners that Ukraine needs an additional $27 billion by the end of 2026 to cover a defence budget gap. The request, which came during a European visit for Ukraine's Independence Day, surprised officials who had agreed to a $100 billion-plus EU loan earlier in the year. European officials are now examining the size, causes, and justification of the deficit, while Ukraine is also seeking help from the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan and pressing for the use of frozen Russian sovereign assets held at Euroclear in Brussels.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Ukraine's military intelligence chief says Russia has resources to wage war through 2027–2028
Head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Oleh Ivashchenko, said in an interview with Ukrinform that Russia is using mercenaries from more than 40 countries and still has enough resources to continue the war through 2027 and 2028, despite a weakened economy, exhausted contract recruitment, and public opposition of more than 60%. He called for sanctions that genuinely work and for international cooperation to cut off supplies of electronics, machinery, and chemicals reaching Russia through intermediary companies.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Israeli police arrive in Uman to help secure Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage
Israeli police have arrived in Uman, Cherkasy Oblast, to maintain public order alongside Ukrainian law enforcement during the annual Hasidic Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage. Israeli and Ukrainian officers, joined by State Emergency Service rescuers and National Guard troops, are conducting joint patrols and outreach to pilgrims. Police describe the situation in the city as stable and controlled.
-
Russian strike on Orlivka border crossing with Romania forces second suspension in a week
On the night of September 5–6, 2026, Russian forces struck border infrastructure in Izmail district of Odesa Oblast, causing the Orlivka international ferry crossing checkpoint on the Ukrainian-Romanian border to suspend operations for the second time within roughly a week. Romanian radar detected inbound aerial targets and the country declared a brief air-raid alert; no violation of Romanian airspace was recorded. Operations resumed on the morning of September 7.
-
Croatia postpones extradition hearing for Ukrainian in Nord Stream case after Germany adds "war crime" charge
A Croatian court postponed a 4 September hearing on the extradition of Ukrainian Volodymyr Zhuravlov to Germany in the Nord Stream sabotage case. The postponement came after German prosecutors updated the European arrest warrant to add a "war crime" qualification to the existing charges. Zhuravlov's defense team, law firm Katerynchuk, Moor and Partners, said the change opens a new stage in fighting for his rights.
-
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.
-
Albania bars Russian shadow-fleet tanker HANUMAN from Durrës port
On 29 August, Albania denied the oil tanker HANUMAN, identified by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) as part of Russia's shadow fleet, entry to the port of Durrës. HUR, which announced the incident publicly on 4 September, framed the refusal as evidence of international sanctions solidarity against Russia.
-
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.
-
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.
-
EU Court of Auditors: 2030 defense readiness goal at risk due to US dependence, fragmented systems
The European Court of Auditors published a report on September 3 warning that the EU is unlikely to achieve its goal of defense readiness by 2030, citing continued dependence on the United States and the fragmentation of national defense systems. The audit, led by ECA member Marek Opiola, notes that despite a 79% rise in EU defense spending from 2020 to 2025, 78% of member states' defense procurement from February 2022 to June 2023 was conducted outside the bloc, with the United States accounting for 63% of that extra-bloc procurement.
-
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.
-
Hungary's Magyar ties support for Ukraine's EU accession to minority rights deal
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on 3 September that Budapest will only back further progress in Ukraine's EU accession talks if a bilateral agreement on Hungarian minority rights in Ukraine is implemented. His comments came as Ukraine said it had met the conditions to open the second and third negotiating clusters, and as the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, unanimously adopted a statement condemning Soviet-era crimes in Transcarpathia.