News blog about the Ukraine warUkraine peace talks should probably be linked to the oil deal
October 4, 2026, 9:59 am|
Whether the deal goes through depends on the approval of Washington and the Kremlin. According to a media report, it includes a global network of oil fields, refineries and gas stations owned by the Russian energy company Lukoil.
All developments in the live blog
Much information about the course of the war, such as casualty numbers or details about fighting, comes from Ukrainian or Russian authorities and cannot be independently verified. In addition to our own research, we use material from the news agencies dpa, Reuters, epd, KNA and Bloomberg for our live blog.
Important updates
Ukraine peace talks to be tied to major oil deal
Russia announces attacks on Kyiv and calls on foreigners to leave the city
Zelenskiy: Ukraine uses new ballistic missile for the first time
Russia fires rockets and drones at Kiev, Ukraine reports deaths and injuries
Zelensky promises remedy against Russian jet drones
Anna Lea Jakobs
Ukraine peace talks to be tied to major oil deal
According to a newspaper report, the US government's talks with Russia about ending the war in Ukraine have expanded into billion-dollar oil deals. Businessmen with connections to US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would benefit from these, the New York Times reported.
The possible deal, which depends on the approval of the US government and the Kremlin, involves a global network of oil fields, refineries and gas stations owned by the Russian energy company Lukoil. In addition to US billionaire Todd Boehly, the group seeking the deal includes two Middle Eastern companies that have already done business with Kushner or Witkoff's family, the newspaper said. The US government itself would also be involved. The White House, the U.S. Treasury Department and Lukoil did not respond to requests for comment.
According to the New York Times, there are currently no signs that Kushner and Witkoff will benefit financially from the deal. According to a US newspaper source, Putin himself proposed the deal to show his people that Russia could do business with the US. The deal would include oil fields in Cameroon, refineries in Europe and gas stations in New Jersey, among others.
Russia announces attacks on Kyiv and calls on foreigners to leave the city
After Russia announced further targeted retaliatory attacks on Kiev and other Ukrainian cities, it is calling on foreigners and diplomats to leave the capital. In response to “terrorist acts” by the Ukrainian armed forces against the civilian population and civilian infrastructure, the Russian army is continuing its systematic attacks on military facilities, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said. The ministry warned foreign citizens and diplomatic personnel not to stay in Ukraine. “Responsibility for any adverse consequences lies entirely with those who ignore this warning,” the statement said.
Russia had recently increased its attacks on the infrastructure in the Ukrainian capital. A bridge over the Dnipro River was hit in an airstrike on Saturday. The increasing attacks are severely disrupting the lives of Kiev's three million residents as the winter months approach. Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week that Ukraine was paying the price for its own attacks on Russia.
In recent months, both sides have intensified their attacks on grain ships in the Black Sea. In addition, Russian oil refineries and other facilities repeatedly come under Ukrainian attack. Ukrainian drones also killed civilians in Russian border regions. Both Russia and Ukraine reject the accusation of targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure.
Zelensky announces increased attacks on Russian oil refineries
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine wants to increase its attacks on oil refineries in Russia. This is a response to a new Russian tactic to encourage residents of Kiev and other cities to flee, Zelensky told Reuters. “To their attacks on our energy, we must respond to their energy,” Zelensky said. “Especially on oil refineries: That’s what makes them money for this war.”
Zelensky said Ukrainian secret services had documents about a “new doctrine” from Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We have seen documents and we know that they allow attacks on infrastructure (...) roads, schools, hospitals to pressure people to leave the capital and other cities,” Zelensky said. Most recently, Russia attacked the bridges over the Dnipro River in Kiev for the first time. The Russian Foreign Ministry has urged foreigners to leave Kiev. Ukrainian officials have said Russia has stockpiled hundreds of ballistic missiles to target Ukraine's electricity and water supplies next winter.
Zelensky said that Ukraine, unlike Russia, would not attack civilian targets. Russia also denies targeting civilian targets. Zelensky said Putin wanted to demonstrate strength by escalating attacks on civilian targets as his troops lost ground on the front lines.
Moldova reports impacts from Russian drones and missiles
According to Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Russian drones have landed on Moldovan territory. “Five Russian airstrikes, including 'Banderol' missiles and drones, violated our airspace and exploded on our soil,” writes Sandu on the X platform.
According to the army, explosions were heard in the southeast. There were initially no reports of injuries or damage; An air alert was reported in the neighboring Ukrainian city of Odessa at the times mentioned.
Russia hits Liberian cargo ship near Odessa: one dead
According to the Ukrainian port authority, Russia attacked a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in a Black Sea port in the Odessa region. One person was killed and three others were injured, the authorities said via Telegram. 13 other crew members were brought to safety. Russia has effectively resumed its blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports since the summer. This affects trade routes and restricts grain and steel exports.
Kyiv: Russia has hit a bridge again
According to Ukrainian information, Russia has again damaged an important bridge in Kyiv. The northern bridge over the Dnipro River was hit in recent Russian air strikes and is now closed to traffic, said Mayor Vitali Klitschko. There were no reports of victims. In the past few days, the south bridge had been hit several times by Russian drones. Many residents of the Ukrainian capital live east of the river and commute to the west side for work. Russia has repeatedly emphasized that its attacks are not directed against the civilian population.
Sea blockade: Ukrainian agricultural exports have halved
Due to the Black Sea ports blocked by Russia, Ukrainian agricultural exports have more than halved - the Minister of Agriculture gives dramatic figures: "This means that in the current financial year (2026/2027) we will not be able to export around 30 million tons of agricultural products worth around 30 billion US dollars (around 26 billion euros)," Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi told journalists, according to a report from Interfax Ukraine. In September, exports fell to 2.4 million tons or 46 percent of planned exports. Of this, 1.4 million tons were grain.
54 percent of agricultural exports currently go through the country's Danube ports. Another 41 percent of agricultural goods are exported by rail and the remaining 5 percent by road. “In September we increased transport volumes both by rail and on the Danube compared to August,” explained the minister.
In early July, the Ukrainian military began using drones to attack ships in the Black and Azov Seas that were calling at Russian-controlled ports. According to Kiev, more than 300 tankers and freighters have been damaged since then. In return, Russia intensified its attacks on Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea and the Danube, as well as on ships. This largely brought shipping traffic to both the Ukrainian and Russian Black Sea ports to a standstill. Russia is trying to redirect some of its grain exports to other ports on the Baltic Sea and the Arctic Ocean. Both countries together usually have a global market share of up to 30 percent, especially for wheat. Important buyer countries are in North Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Russian air strikes hit bridge in Kyiv again
According to Ukrainian information, Russian air strikes have again hit the southern bridge in Kyiv. Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced this on the short message service Telegram. The day before, Russian drone attacks on a school and the bridge over the Dnipro River had triggered fires in the capital. The city of three million could now be threatened with a traffic collapse.
At least one person has been killed in further Russian drone strikes in the Ukrainian capital Kiev. Two others were injured, the city administration said on Telegram. According to the information, a drone hit a residential building in the eastern part of the city.
The Defense Ministry in Moscow said the targets included a road and rail bridge over the Dnipro River in Kiev, an electrical substation in the capital region and an industrial complex at the port of Izmail in the Odessa region. The bridge in Kiev was used to transport troops and military equipment to Donbass. The facility in Izmail served to supply the Ukrainian army with military goods and fuel. In addition, a cargo ship that was transporting armaments and civilian and military goods to the port of Odessa was hit in the Black Sea.
Russia: Ukraine attacks industrial facilities in Volgograd
According to Russian information, Ukraine is attacking industrial facilities in the city of Volgograd with drones. A fire broke out in a residential building and one person was injured, said Governor Andrei Bocharov on the short message service Telegram. The fire has now been extinguished. The governor left it open which facilities were exactly the target of the attack. There is a large oil refinery in Volgograd.
Ukraine is trying to resolve the dispute with South Korea
According to Ukrainian media reports, Ukraine is working on resolving a diplomatic dispute with South Korea. The trigger for the disagreements between the countries was the public announcement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that two North Korean soldiers were being handed over to South Korea.
The South Korean presidential office points to the agreed secrecy of the action and demands an apology. "I don't want to call this an incident. Let's say it's a diplomatic misunderstanding," said Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, according to a report by the news portal nv.ua. He hopes that the situation will be resolved promptly. North Korea supports Russia in the war against Ukraine with thousands of soldiers.
Zelenskiy: Ukraine uses new ballistic missile for the first time
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine is using its new FP-7 tactical ballistic missile in combat for the first time. "Thanks for the result. Next - production," Zelensky wrote on Telegram. He did not say where or against which target the missile was used. Russia frequently uses ballistic missiles in attacks on Ukrainian targets. According to military analysts, the FP-7 has a range of about 200 kilometers. The missile is also being developed by the manufacturer Fire Point as an interceptor missile for the European Freyja missile defense program.
NATO boss Rutte calls for continued support for Ukraine
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has called for calm and continued support for Ukraine in the face of Russian provocations. During a visit to Münster, Rutte said:
“Stay calm, carry on and continue to support Ukraine.”
Russia is testing NATO across Europe with airspace violations, sabotage and hybrid attacks. “While we do not see an immediate military attack on NATO, we must be prepared for Russia's campaign of hostile actions against its allies to continue,” explains the NATO chief. Addressing Russian President Vladimir Putin, Rutte said: "He fails on the battlefield, and he fails to intimidate us." Rutte accepts the Peace of Westphalia Prize for the alliance in Münster. Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz gives the laudatory speech.
Drone attack stops traffic on Kiev's Dnipro Bridge
A Russian drone attack forces the Kiev city government to suspend road and subway traffic on a bridge over the Dnipro. This is explained by the mayor of the capital, Vitali Klitschko. Local media publish photos showing flames near one of the bridge pillars. In addition, previously unverified video recordings of the alleged consequences of the attack are circulating on social media.
Russia attacks Kyiv and Odessa again
According to Ukrainian authorities, one person was injured in Russian air strikes in Kiev and Odessa during the night. Infrastructure was also damaged in Odessa, as the head of the region's military administration, Serhiy Lyssak, said on the short message service Telegram. He doesn't give any details.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram that the armed forces had attacked a logistics center in the Ukrainian region during their attacks.
