Donald Trump has claimed the US has “an idea for peace” as he sends his special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv for talks aimed at ending the war.
Speaking to press on Friday, the president suggested the US had a fresh concrete proposal aimed at ending the war, which is now in its fifth year. He did not, however, elaborate on what that proposal would be.
Trump’s envoys are expected to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday before travelling to Kyiv on Sunday to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, according to US officials cited by Axios.
The trip comes as Russia continues its attacks despite Zelensky’s offer of a temporary air truce. There will be no airstrikes from our side, and Russia must reciprocally ensure a period of calm, with no airstrikes on its part for as long as necessary to hold these talks,” Zelensky said in his Friday evening address.
Russia nevertheless launched overnight strikes on Ukraine, killing four people and injuring five in Kamianske in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, while Russian drones also struck Kyiv and the surrounding region.
Zelensky threatens ‘symmetrical’ response after SBU strike
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine has decided where it will retaliate after a Russian drone struck the headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in central Kyiv.
“The geography of our response has been determined. The timing will be chosen to ensure results,” Zelensky said in a post on Telegram on Friday after meeting acting SBU head Oleksandr Poklad, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
Zelensky had earlier instructed Poklad to prepare an “appropriate, tangible response” and, where possible, one that “mirrors this strike”. The SBU said the damaged headquarters would be repaired and warned that Russia would receive a “painful response”, including more special operations and attacks on Russian targets.
The Russian drone hit Poklad’s office in the SBU headquarters on Friday, although the acting SBU chief was not there at the time. At least 12 people were injured in the attack, according to Kyiv authorities.
Shahana Yasmin5 September 2026 07:15
Ukraine war disrupts Black Sea grain trade, pushing up prices
Attacks on ships and port infrastructure in the Black Sea are disrupting grain exports from Russia and Ukraine, with the impact now being felt in global food markets.
Asian wheat buyers have recently purchased at least 500,000 tonnes from Australia and Argentina to replace delayed Russian and Ukrainian shipments. Some are paying more than $300 (£221) a tonne for alternative supplies, compared with roughly $260-$280 (£191-£206) for Black Sea wheat.
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Friday that global food prices reached their highest level since November 2022 in August. Its cereals index rose 2.2 per cent month-on-month, with the FAO citing “continued uncertainty surrounding Black Sea export flows” among the factors behind the increase.
Shahana Yasmin5 September 2026 07:00
Germany once cosied up to Putin. Now they are Russia’s public enemy number one in Europe
Berlin accused Moscow of being behind a recent drone attack at an airport in Leipzig. Experts tell Suha Kidwai that the Kremlin’s hybrid attacks are a deliberate ploy to destabilise the biggest economy in Europe ahead of key elections
Germany once cosied up to Putin. Now they are Russia’s public enemy number one
Berlin accused Moscow of being behind a recent drone attack at an airport in Leipzig. Experts tell Suha Kidwai that the Kremlin’s hybrid attacks are a deliberate ploy to destabilise the biggest economy in Europe ahead of key electionsShahana Yasmin5 September 2026 06:45
Four killed as Russia strikes Ukraine after ceasefire proposal
Russia killed four people in an overnight attack on the city of Kamianske in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, hours after Kyiv proposed a temporary ceasefire during US-led peace talks.
Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said Russian forces used missiles, drones, and artillery in attacks across the region overnight and into Saturday morning.
Five people were also injured, with three taken to hospital, including a 30-year-old woman in intensive care, the Kyiv Independent reported.
An industrial facility was hit in Kamianske, although Hanzha did not give details of the target. Ukraine’s Air Force had earlier warned that Russian ballistic missiles were heading towards the city.
The attack came hours after Ukraine ordered its forces to observe a temporary ceasefire to coincide with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s visits to Moscow and Kyiv.
Shahana Yasmin5 September 2026 06:30
Zelensky says he receives information about first airlines refusing flights to Russia
Shahana Yasmin5 September 2026 06:15
Putin expected to meet Trump envoys in Moscow ahead of Kyiv visit
US president Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday before travelling to Kyiv for talks with Zelensky on Sunday.
The pair will meet Putin at the Kremlin before their planned Kyiv visit, reported Axios, citing US officials. The trip would be their first to Ukraine since Trump returned to office.
The visit comes after months of stalled US-mediated negotiations, as talks between Russia and Ukraine were paused in February after the Iran war began, while Putin has rejected several proposals for a three-way summit with Trump and Zelensky.
Zelensky confirmed the planned meetings, saying: “It is important that America remain actively engaged. We are ready to meet with them in Ukraine – properly and substantively.”
Russia has continued to insist on territorial concessions from Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has described Moscow’s position on territory and NATO membership as “unshakeable”.
Shahana Yasmin5 September 2026 06:00
Russian drone strikes Ukraine ‘MI5’ headquarters ahead of US peace talks
Ukraine’s security service headquarters was set alight after a Russian drone struck it ahead of diplomatic talks with US officials on ending the war.
Smoke could be seen above the SBU headquarters in Kyiv on Friday after a drone targeted the office of the acting head of the security service, Oleksandr Poklad, who was unscathed following the attack.
Russian drone strikes Ukraine ‘MI5’ headquarters ahead of US peace talks
President Zelensky instructed the SBU to deliver an ‘appropriate, tangible response’ to the Russians following the strike on headquartersShahana Yasmin5 September 2026 05:45
WHO says warehouse storing vital medical supplies destroyed in Ukraine
A World Health Organization warehouse storing humanitarian medical supplies was destroyed in an air attack in Kyiv Oblast early on Thursday, with the UN agency warning of a growing pattern of attacks on facilities supporting Ukraine’s healthcare system.
“Access to the site remains restricted due to heavy smoke and safety concerns, while assessments of possible damage and stock losses are ongoing. No WHO personnel were affected,” WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told Reuters.
The WHO said the strike was the third attack affecting one of its warehouses in Ukraine in three months. A warehouse in Dnipro was destroyed in August, destroying half the medical supplies and equipment intended for about 225,000 people in frontline and hard-to-reach areas.
According to the WHO, at least 20 attacks have affected humanitarian-supply warehouses across Ukraine this year, including 15 involving facilities storing health-related supplies.
Shahana Yasmin5 September 2026 05:30
Air Tanzania to resume Moscow flights after brief suspension
Air Tanzania briefly suspended its Dar es Salaam-Moscow service on Friday, citing safety concerns amid a surge in Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia.
The airline said the decision, which had been due to affect flights from Friday, followed “a routine risk assessment of the operating environment along the route”. This came after an Air Tanzania flight from Zanzibar to Moscow was diverted to St Petersburg on 3 September because of an airspace closure around Moscow.
However, the airline reversed the suspension within hours, saying flights would resume on 7 September.
Shahana Yasmin5 September 2026 05:15
Russian drones hit Coca-Cola plant outside Kyiv, says Zelensky
Shahana Yasmin5 September 2026 05:00NewerOlder