Tim Seckel
Rubio and Lavrov meet in New York
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in New York on Wednesday, the US State Department said.
Tim Seckel
Poland closes two airports after attacks on Ukraine
Poland has temporarily suspended flight operations at Lublin and Rzeszow airports in the southeast of the country due to Russian attacks on Ukraine. The Polish air traffic control authority PANSA announced on platform X that the blockage was lifted after the use of combat aircraft. The Russian Defense Ministry also says that night drone strikes hit Ukrainian defense and energy facilities, logistics centers and military ships.
Sabrina Frangos
NATO commander warns of Putin's increasing willingness to take risks
According to a high-ranking NATO commander, Russian President Vladimir Putin will become more willing to take risks and more dangerous as the war in Ukraine continues. At the same time, Putin is trying to divide the Western allies, NATO's deputy supreme commander in Europe, John Stringer, told the AP on Tuesday in Estonia. NATO must prepare for a “heated environment” and react cautiously. Putin wanted to provoke the alliance into an “overreaction,” said Stringer.
European states have recently been repeatedly confronted with Russian drones and missiles as well as suspected Russian sabotage and espionage operations. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Russia could deliberately attack NATO countries with drones or missiles and present this as an oversight. French President Emmanuel Macron has drawn up plans to protect critical infrastructure from possible drone and cyber attacks.
Sabrina Frangos
Ukraine: Zelensky warns of new major Russian attack
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warns of a new major Russian attack on his country. “There is now intelligence information that Russia is preparing a new massive attack on Ukraine,” writes Zelenskyj on the short message service Telegram. Ukraine is in constant communication with its allies to secure new air defense systems.
Sabrina Frangos
Zelensky: Stopping Russian oil purchases would end war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj sees a stop to Russian oil purchases as a decisive lever for ending the war against Ukraine. If US President Donald Trump put more pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin and if China and India stopped buying Russian oil, the war would be over, Zelensky told the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday (local time) on the sidelines of the general debate at the UN General Assembly in New York. “It’s enough to stop them – they won’t have enough money,” Zelensky said.
In the same interview, Zelensky said Trump did not ask him to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries on Tuesday. However, he acknowledged that US officials had already raised the issue. The background is fears of rising energy prices. At the same time, Zelensky said that Ukraine must respond decisively to Russian attacks on its own energy infrastructure.
Julius Stockheim
Zelensky: I spoke to Trump about stopping attacks on energy facilities
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he spoke to US President Donald Trump about an energy ceasefire and ways to end the war with Russia. However, there was no talk of Ukraine unilaterally stopping its attacks on Russian refineries.
Zelensky reiterates that he is ready for a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump. He hoped that the US would find a way to persuade Moscow to enter into negotiations of some kind.
Julius Stockheim
Trump confident about end of Ukraine war
US President Donald Trump remains optimistic that he will be able to end the war in Ukraine. Both Russia and Ukraine wanted an end to the war, Trump said on Tuesday during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the general debate at the UN General Assembly in New York.
Trump expressed his willingness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin again, but left open when and where that might happen. “I believe we will reach an agreement,” he said. "And I don't want to reveal what this agreement looks like. We've talked a lot about it, including with President Putin, and I think something will happen."
US President Donald Trump (right) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
Julius Stockheim
EU removes two Russian billionaires from sanctions list
The European Union is removing the two billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from its Russia sanctions list. The EU ambassadors agreed on this on Tuesday as part of a compromise, diplomats said. In return, the punitive measures against the approximately 3,000 other listed individuals and institutions will be extended by three years instead of the usual six months.
The decision was formally approved in a written procedure on Tuesday. Latvia was the last country to abstain from the vote, thereby enabling the unanimity necessary for sanctions. The deadline for extending the measures would have expired on the night of September 22nd. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called the decision on X shameful and unjustified.
Julius Stockheim
Kremlin rejects limited ceasefire in Ukraine
Moscow rejects Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's renewed proposal to agree a limited ceasefire. President Vladimir Putin has always said that “Russia is committed to a lasting peace, not to a ceasefire that basically achieves nothing,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russian state media.
Peskov also accused Zelensky of sometimes calling for an end to the war and sometimes announcing new attacks. The day before, Zelensky had reiterated the proposal for a limited ceasefire. Ukraine is ready to take appropriate steps if the Ukrainian energy sector, critical infrastructure and food exports are no longer targets for Russia. Zelenskyj wants to meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN general debate in New York.
Eva Glaser
Ukraine receives $841 million from the World Bank
Ukraine will receive $841 million from the World Bank under guarantees from the Canadian government. The funds will be used to reimburse government spending on pension payments, Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergiy Koretskyj said on the short message service Telegram.
Eva Glaser
Slovakia calls for special EU summit because of high fuel prices
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is calling for a special EU summit in view of rising fuel prices. The European Union is leaving member states to face the “terrible effects of the oil crisis,” Fico explains in a statement. He also announced the Slovakian government's own price control measures for Wednesday. Fico maintains close ties with Russia and has increasingly criticized the EU and NATO, among other things, for their stance on the war in Ukraine.
Patricia Hoffhaus
Lithuania: New US troops on the way
A new contingent of US troops is “already on the way” to the Baltic NATO country, according to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda. The US military presence in Lithuania is an indispensable part of deterrence and collective defense, writes Nauseda on the short message platform X. He thanks US President Donald Trump and the US government for the step, which is important for Lithuania and the security of the region. The USA is currently withdrawing thousands of soldiers from Europe. Lithuania announced in June that the US was reviewing its future deployment of troops in the country.
Eva Glaser
Oil and gas facility severely damaged by Russian attack
An oil and gas facility was severely damaged in a Russian missile attack in the Poltava region of central Ukraine. At least five ballistic missiles hit the technical facilities during the night, according to the Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz. These had already been shut down at the time of the attack.
According to the company, the recent damage makes it virtually impossible to repair and operate the site. The complex, which has not been named, has been attacked several times since 2022.
Marc Renner
Luke Bay
Lavrov plans to meet with Rubio at UN
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is planning a meeting with his US counterpart Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the UN general debate in New York. The conversation is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Moscow told the state news agency Tass. He did not give any details. Confirmation from the US side was still pending.
US Secretary of State Rubio (r and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov (l) at a meeting in the Philippines. dpa
Luke Bay
Macron and Trump discuss energy ceasefire in Ukraine
Before the start of the UN general debate in New York, French President Emmanuel Macron discussed energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz and an energy ceasefire in the Ukraine war with US President Donald Trump. “We have decided to take joint action to reduce tensions in energy markets while protecting critical infrastructure in the Middle East and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” Macron wrote on Platform X.
“We will also join forces to achieve a moratorium on attacks on energy and civil infrastructure in Ukraine,” wrote the French head of state. “Civilians must be protected and we must begin serious negotiations on peace terms between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible.”
Marc Renner
Luke Bay
Russia: Ukrainian drone attacks on Samara region
According to authorities, Ukrainian drones hit civilian targets in the Russian region of Samara on the Volga. Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said on the Telegram text message service that air defense had shot down dozens of drones during the night. Nevertheless, private houses and cars were damaged. The region is home to important industrial facilities such as oil refineries. According to the mayor of the city of Samara, Ivan Noskov, an attack on the city, located more than 1,000 kilometers southeast of Moscow, has been repelled. Both Ukraine and Russia reject allegations of specifically targeting civilian objects.
Sabrina Frangos
Kremlin admits supply bottlenecks in Oleschky - Kyiv accuses Moscow of blocking
The Kremlin admits critical bottlenecks in the supply of food and medicine in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Oleshky. The government in Moscow says the Russian military is working on a solution. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, however, accuses Russian troops of blocking humanitarian aid and not responding to evacuation requests. In the Kherson region city, “6,000 residents, including 200 children, are dying of hunger and cold,” he said in a video on Facebook. The Ukrainian delegation wants to raise the issue at the highest level at the UN General Assembly in New York in order to put international pressure on Russia for humanitarian access.
Carlotta Moreno Lara
EU wants to lift sanctions against Russian billionaires
The EU wants to lift its punitive measures against the two oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman because of the threat of a total blockade of Russia sanctions by individual member states. The German Press Agency learned from diplomats that a corresponding decision-making process was initiated in Brussels in the evening.
Carlotta Moreno Lara
Before meeting with Trump: Zelenskyj for a limited ceasefire
Before a meeting with US President Donald Trump planned in New York, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky rejected US criticism of attacks on the Russian oil industry. On the other hand, he renewed his proposal for a limited ceasefire: “The Ukrainian energy sector, critical infrastructure and our food exports must no longer be targets for Russia, and this will lead to corresponding de-escalation steps on our part,” Zelensky wrote on Platform X.
Lara Dehari
Zelenskyj: Meeting with Trump in New York agreed
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he has agreed to meet his US colleague Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. The meeting could “change a lot” with a view to resolving the war with Russia, Zelensky said on the short message platform X. There is diplomatic momentum as well as ideas for de-escalation measures and the clarification of fundamental security issues. “We are working with the American team and are ready to take really serious steps,” explains Zelensky.
Carlotta Moreno Lara
Parliamentary election in Russia marred by irregularities
The final day of Russia's parliamentary election has been marred by Ukrainian drone strikes and reports of irregularities. The election of 450 State Duma deputies was scheduled from Friday to Sunday. Voting also took place in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. According to the Russian authorities, around 111 million people were entitled to vote.
Half of the seats are allocated via party lists, the other half via direct mandates in individual constituencies. For the first time, a Duma election was also held in the four Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, which Russia declared annexed in violation of international law after the start of the war in Ukraine, but which have not been fully controlled to this day. Voting also took place on the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed in 2014. The Ukrainian government described the votes there as illegal and called on other countries not to recognize the results. The EU spoke of a blatant violation of international law.
Carlotta Moreno Lara
Russian opposition in exile protests against Duma election and war
