Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky praises 'substantive talks' with Trump's peace envoys as Putin ally warns West of 'start of real war'

US peace envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday, after holding three hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday in Moscow.

Witkoff, President Donald Trump's envoy, said they had "heard new ideas" in Moscow, which they did not detail, and they hoped a new round of US-mediated Ukraine-Russia talks would be announced "in short order."

The high-stakes diplomatic effort comes as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov issued a stark escalation in rhetoric, claiming accusations from Berlin that the Kremlin coordinated a recent drone attack at Germany's Leipzig airport represent "by and large the start of real war".

As Donald Trump’s administration has stepped up efforts to broker an end to the Ukraine war, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the talks were "substantive, constructive and extremely frank", but gave no indication of any breakthrough.

Putin said he had ordered Russian forces to halt strikes on Kyiv after receiving a request through diplomatic and intelligence channels, while Ukraine has said it will similarly refrain from striking Moscow through Monday.

Putin has no interest in peace – and Trump is falling into his trap

Steve Witkoff is the real estate guy with zero diplomatic experience who Donald Trump appointed in 2024 as his personal “peace emissary”.

Jared Kushner is the president’s son-in-law, but did at least play some role in one of President Trump’s few foreign policy achievements – the Abraham Accords process that promised to deliver some stability to the Middle East during the first Trump term. As a team, they have enjoyed little success in securing the “settlement” to the war in Ukraine that Mr Trump so desires.

There is little reason to suppose that their latest exercise in shuttle diplomacy will succeed where their previous efforts failed. Indeed, the prospects for an end to the war, let alone one that will prove just and lasting, are as dismal as at any time since Vladimir Putin launched his ill-fated “special military operation” more than four and a half years ago – its duration now longer than the Soviet Union’s four-year “great patriotic war” against Adolf Hitler.

Just as in that epoch-defining conflict, it is the civilian population of Ukraine that will face some of the harshest consequences as winter approaches.

Read the full editorial here:

Putin has no interest in peace - and Trump is falling into his trap

Editorial: Trump’s latest peace push offers little hope of ending the Ukraine war, with Putin apparently using talks to pursue economic gains while remaining committed to Russian military victory

Holly Evans7 September 2026 00:00

Watch: Trump envoys arrive in Kyiv for peace talks

Holly Evans6 September 2026 23:00

US envoy says he 'feels good' about peace talks

US envoy Steve ⁠Witkoff said on Sunday that he ⁠felt ​good ⁠about peace ⁠talks in ​both ⁠Moscow ‌and Kyiv, adding that the ‌US hoped ‌to find ⁠a diplomatic solution to the war, which is now in ‌its fifth ​year.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky ⁠told reporters ​that ⁠they discussed ‌security and economic guarantees for ‌Ukraine and also ‌supplies of air-defence missiles ⁠and a winter support package.

He also hoped that trilateral talks, including Ukraine, ‌Russia ​and the ‌U.S. ⁠would restart soon.

Holly Evans6 September 2026 22:00

Russian casualties approach 1.5 million since 2022, Kyiv reports

Russia has lost approximately 1,496,440 troops in Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s latest tally.

The updated figure includes 1,390 casualties suffered by Russian forces over the past 24 hours.

Alongside personnel losses, Ukrainian military reports state Russia has lost 12,331 tanks, 25,278 armored combat vehicles, 49,260 artillery systems, and over 500,000 tactical operational drones since the war began.

Ukraine continues to keep its own military casualty figures strictly confidential, citing operational security during ongoing wartime operations.

Suha Kidwai6 September 2026 21:00

Ukraine intercepted over 4,600 aerial targets in August, latest data shows

Ukrainian air defense forces intercepted more than 4,600 missiles and long-range drones in August, according to defence officials.

Intercepts included 71 cruise and ballistic missiles, 101 S8000 Banderol loitering munitions, and 3,336 Shahed-series attack drones.

Defence officials have noted a growing tactical challenge from high-speed, jet-powered drones. Models like the Shahed-238 and S8000 Banderol reach speeds between 400 km/h and 600 km/h, making them significantly harder for mobile fire groups and standard interceptors to shoot down.

To counter the threat, Kyiv has renewed calls for international support to fund domestic interceptor drone production and speed up missile deliveries.

Suha Kidwai6 September 2026 20:00

Ukrainian delegation protests UN world map resolution over Crimean border

Ukraine has refused to support a UN General Assembly resolution adopting a new global map projection after the proposed model depicted Russian-occupied Crimea as distinct from the rest of Ukrainian territory.

"In 2026, the U.N. should not need a reminder: Crimea is Ukraine. Shame," Ukrainian lawmaker Kira Rudik said in a post on X following the vote.

Ukraine's delegation formally registered its objection, calling the Equal Earth projection's depiction of the country "wholly unacceptable" for undermining territorial integrity and violating prior UN resolutions on Russia's illegal annexation.

The "Correct the Map" resolution — spearheaded by Togo and the African Union to replace the Mercator projection with one preserving accurate landmass proportions — passed with 164 votes.

Suha Kidwai6 September 2026 19:00

Cautious optimism on the streets of Kyiv as residents weigh peace prospects

Residents across Kyiv are expressing cautious hope as US special envoys meet with Zelensky following a series of diplomatic stops in Moscow.

The visit comes after weeks of intense aerial bombardment on Kyiv, leaving many weary locals eager for a durable diplomatic resolution.

"The issue can be solved in the blink of an eye. We want peace. I've fought myself, so I know what war is like. We need peace, because there's no other way," said military veteran Stepan Yermak.

Despite local optimism, obstacles remain.

Previous talks stalled over the future of the Donbas region, where Russia demands a full Ukrainian pullout from fortified positions — a condition Kyiv firmly rejects, citing its ability to maintain control indefinitely.

For many citizens, any potential resolution hinges on binding international security guarantees to prevent future aggression. "We need an agreement that will never be broken," said Svitlana Kurylenko, a 19-year-old cafe worker. "Just leave Ukraine alone and let people live in peace."

Suha Kidwai6 September 2026 18:00

Frontline combat continues amid peace Talks

Despite a temporary halt in strikes on Moscow and Kyiv while US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner hold peace talks in the capitals, active combat continues along the 1,200-kilometre front line.

The temporary capital strike halt, running through Monday, was agreed upon by both sides to allow safe passage for the US delegation following weeks of heavy aerial bombardment, including a Russian strike Friday on Ukraine’s SBU security service headquarters in Kyiv.

However, operations outside the capitals remain intense. Russia bombarded several Ukrainian regional centers over the weekend, while Ukrainian forces launched deep strikes targeting the Ryazan oil refinery — roughly 300 miles inside Russia — hitting an isomerisation unit and triggering a major fire.

Ground combat across the Donbas continues unabated, underscoring that broader military action persists uninterrupted.

Suha Kidwai6 September 2026 17:00

US-Ukraine talks to focus on winter ahead, reports local media

A significant portion of Sunday's high-level talks between president Zelensky and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to centre on Ukraine’s winter energy needs, according to reports made by The Kyiv Independent.

Ukraine is bracing for a fresh wave of Russian strikes against its critical infrastructure as cold weather approaches.

Previous Russian aerial campaigns severely crippled Ukrainian energy production, where Russian strikes destroyed 9 gigawatts of power generation capacity last winter.

Following initial bilateral discussions with Zelensky, the talks are expected to include national security advisers from the UK, France, and Germany to coordinate joint Western security guarantees and energy defence strategies.

Suha Kidwai6 September 2026 16:00

Moscow suffered 42,000 Casualties for 5km of territory in August, says foreign minister

Russian forces suffered over 42,000 casualties killed and wounded for a net gain of just roughly five square kilometers of territory in August 2026, according to shared released by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

In a post on X, Sybiha said open-source data showed Russian territorial advances over the first eight months of 2026 were 3.5 times slower than the previous year, with Moscow occupying less than 0.2% of additional Ukrainian land during that period.

The minister added that Russian forces still control less than 80 per cent of the Donetsk region, calculating that it would take more than two years at the current pace to capture the remaining territory.

The figures come as both sides escalate long-range strikes targeting critical infrastructure.

Suha Kidwai6 September 2026 15:15