Negotiations between Ukraine and the US have officially begun in Kyiv as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in the capital following their three-hour meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared video footage on social media showing himself greeting and hugging both Kushner and Witkoff, captioning the post: "Negotiations have begun."
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.
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Key Points
- Putin and Trump envoys discuss potential Russia-US business projects
- Russia says it will not strike Kyiv for three days during US visit
- Putin praises Trump’s efforts to end Ukraine war
- Kremlin says Putin’s Ukraine peace demands remain ‘unshakeable’
All the ways Putin could attack the UK with devastating consequences
12:30 , Shahana YasminAs Europe directly calls Russia out over an attempted drone attack on a German airport, defence expert Francis Tusa explains how a Russian hybrid warfare campaign could easily cause widespread disruption and panic at home
All the ways Putin could attack UK with devastating consequences
Kyiv faces tougher winter as Russian drone attacks intensify
11:45 , Shahana YasminKyiv is facing a more difficult winter after Russia moved towards sustained, round-the-clock drone attacks, with faster jet-powered drones increasingly striking infrastructure and disrupting electricity, transport, and food supplies.
Vitaliia Poliakova, who was injured when a drone struck near her car, told Reuters: “We were just driving along, talking about our own things. There was a sudden hit, the airbags deployed and we had to climb out the window.”
The attacks have repeatedly halted Kyiv’s metro, disrupted shopping, and forced schools to move lessons underground during air-raid alerts. The city of about three million people has also seen power outages and damage to warehouses and other infrastructure as the attacks intensify.
“To be honest, this winter we’re planning to move away from Kyiv,” a resident named Bohdan said. “After this, as you can see, it will probably be even harder, so we’re moving away.”
Ukraine is trying to strengthen its defences and prepare its energy system for another winter of Russian strikes, but shortages of interceptors remain a major concern. Russia has increasingly used jet-powered drones that are faster and harder to intercept, while Ukraine says US-made Patriot systems remain its only effective defence against Russian ballistic missiles.
Zelensky says Russia deliberately targeted Kyiv airports ahead of US visit
11:00 , Shahana YasminRussia struck Kyiv’s Zhuliany and Boryspil airports overnight on Friday and Saturday, in what president Volodymyr Zelensky said was a deliberate response to preparations for US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner potentially flying into Ukraine.
“Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine and land at Kyiv Airport or Boryspil Airport,” Zelensky said. He said Ukraine had recorded the move and would adjust its operations concerning Russian airspace the following week.
The overnight attacks also damaged a nine-storey residential building in Boryspil, where two women were injured, while fires were reported in the Kyiv region. The strikes came hours before Witkoff and Kushner met Putin in Moscow; the pair are due to travel to Kyiv on Sunday.
India ready to help end Russia-Ukraine war, says foreign minister on visit to Kyiv
10:15 , Shahana YasminIndia is ready to help bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, the country’s external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday during his visit to Kyiv.
“If India can be of any help, in any manner, we are there,” he said, standing alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, Reuters reported.
The foreign minister’s visit to Kyiv comes just days after Indian prime minister Narendra Modi met Russian president Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan on Monday.
During the meeting, Mr Modi told Mr Putin that “India supports all efforts towards peace, and will continue to do so”.
Russia’s wartime budget deficit reaches 2.8 per cent of GDP
09:30 , Shahana YasminRussia’s budget deficit increased by 40 per cent between January and July to 2.8 per cent of GDP, as the cost of its war in Ukraine continues to weigh on government finances, Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
The official target for the full year is 1.6 per cent of GDP, with Moscow relying on higher taxes and borrowing to help finance spending.
Putin dismissed concerns over the widening deficit, saying: “Considering that we have one of the lowest levels of national debt in the world, there is nothing critical here.” He said Russia would manage the shortfall despite the deterioration in its finances.
Russia shifts tactics with round-the-clock attacks on Kyiv, disrupting daily life
09:10 , Shahana Yasmin
Russia shifts tactics with round-the-clock attacks on Kyiv, disrupting daily life
G7 and IMF assess Ukraine’s finances as war strains economy
08:50 , Shahana YasminG7 ambassadors in Kyiv have met an International Monetary Fund mission led by Gavin Gray to discuss Ukraine’s economic outlook, with the G7 saying reforms aligned with EU standards remain a priority.
The IMF mission began meetings on 31 August and is examining Ukraine’s macroeconomic policies and reforms under its four-year, $8.1bn Extended Fund Facility, as well as the draft 2027 budget.
Ukraine’s $8.1bn four-year IMF programme remains a key source of international financing. The IMF approved a $690m disbursement in July, taking total payments under the programme to about $2.2bn, but said the economic outlook had weakened because of intensified Russian attacks on critical infrastructure and spillovers from the Middle East war.
ICYMI: Putin meets Trump envoys as limited truce takes effect
08:30 , Shahana YasminRussian president Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow on Saturday, with Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov describing the meeting as “substantive, very frank, and constructive”.
Ushakov said the envoys “put forward a number of ideas on possible routes to a settlement” and would take Putin’s views to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
A White House official said the sides had discussed “substantive plans for next steps”, to be announced in the coming weeks.
Putin told the envoys Russia was making “real progress” on the battlefield and insisted that “all the root causes of the conflict” had to be addressed. At the start of the meeting, he asked them to convey his “very best wishes and words of gratitude” to Trump, saying the US president was continuing efforts to resolve the conflict despite “a difficult situation”.
The talks took place during a limited pause in strikes on the two capitals. Putin said he had ordered Russian forces not to strike Kyiv for three days after receiving a request through diplomatic and intelligence channels, saying: “I issued the relevant order, and no strikes have been carried out on Kyiv since midnight.”
Zelensky said Ukraine would refrain from striking Moscow through Monday.
Germany once cosied up to Putin. Now they are Russia’s public enemy number one in Europe
08:10 , Shahana Yasmin
Germany once cosied up to Putin. Now they are Russia’s public enemy number one
Norway seizes Russian vessel over $4.2bn Ukraine claim
07:50 , Shahana YasminNorway seized a Russian research vessel in Svalbard on Wednesday at the request of Ukraine’s state-owned energy company Naftogaz, as part of efforts to enforce a $4.22bn arbitration award over Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian energy assets in Crimea.
An arbitration tribunal in The Hague ordered Russia to pay the sum in 2023, but Moscow has refused to do so.
The vessel, the Professor Molchanov, was seized after Naftogaz sought enforcement through Norwegian courts. The company has been pursuing Russian commercial assets in several countries as it tries to recover the award stemming from Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.
US NATO envoy calls Leipzig drone attack ‘more concerning’
07:30 , Shahana YasminNATO’s US ambassador Matthew Whitaker has described an attempted Russian-linked drone attack at a German airport as a concerning example of Moscow’s alleged hybrid warfare against Europe.
A drone carrying explosives was found in a restricted area at Leipzig on 4 August, near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft. The device failed to detonate, but its discovery forced the closure of a runway and disrupted flights.
German authorities later found traces of military explosives and concluded that Russia was behind the attempted attack, saying individuals involved had acted on behalf of Russian state agencies.
“Then you have what I would call the more concerning hybrid actions, as we saw in Leipzig, as we have seen in Poland,” Whitaker said on Saturday. “If we can identify who's doing it – which Germany did – we make sure we express strongly that is unacceptable and we will not tolerate it.”
Russia has denied involvement. Germany has said it will close Russia’s consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural centre in Berlin in response to the incident.
Russian oil refinery hit as Ukraine launches overnight drone barrage
07:10 , Shahana YasminUkrainian drones targeted an oil refinery in Ryazan and several cities across Russia overnight, with explosions reported in Rostov-on-Don and a child injured in the southern city.
Rostov region governor Yuri Slyusar said air defences destroyed around 30 drones over the region. Two apartment buildings in Rostov-on-Don were damaged and a child was hospitalised, while damage was also reported to homes in other parts of the region, according to the Kyiv Independent.
An oil refinery in Ryazan was also targeted, with a fire reported at the site. The plant, which accounts for about 5 per cent of Russia's refining capacity, has previously been hit by Ukrainian drones and suffered an operational shutdown in July.
Kyiv urges Europe to unlock frozen Russian assets for war effort
06:50 , Shahana YasminUkraine is pushing European governments to revive plans to use some €210bn (£180.4bn) in frozen Russian central-bank assets to help finance its war effort, as Kyiv faces a €27bn (£23.2bn) defence funding gap for 2026.
The Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden have backed reopening the debate, while Belgium, where most of the money is held through Euroclear, remains opposed because of legal and financial risks.
Ukraine’s finance minister Sergii Marchenko has proposed moving custody of the assets from Belgium to the EU level, saying this would spread the risks across all 27 member states. “It will help settle everything and mitigate the risk,” he told Euronews.
Putin and Trump envoys discuss potential Russia-US business projects
06:30 , Shahana YasminTalks between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow went beyond efforts to end the Ukraine war, with the two sides also discussing potential major Russian-US economic projects, the Kremlin said.
Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said: “Economic issues and potential major, mutually beneficial Russian-American projects were discussed in some detail.” He said the meeting was not simply an exchange of views over the war and described the discussions as “timely and highly useful for both sides.”
Global food prices rise to highest level in nearly four years
06:10 , Shahana YasminGlobal food prices rose to their highest level since November 2022 in August, with escalating attacks in the Black Sea disrupting grain exports from both Ukraine and Russia, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said.
Russian and Ukrainian attacks on ports, grain terminals, and commercial vessels have delayed or cancelled dozens of cargoes during the peak export season. Some Asian buyers have already turned to wheat from Australia and Argentina to replace delayed Black Sea shipments, Reuters reported.
The FAO’s cereal price index rose 2.2 per cent in August, while wheat prices climbed 2.6 per cent and were 15 per cent higher than a year earlier. The agency specifically cited “persistent disruptions to Black Sea export logistics” as a factor behind the increase.
IAEA brokers ceasefire to restore power to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
05:50 , Shahana YasminA local ceasefire has taken effect around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to allow repairs to a damaged power line, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
“This is a much-needed step at a critical time for nuclear safety and security. With diesel fuel supplies under increasing strain, the damaged power line must be repaired without delay so reliable external power can be restored,” Director General Grossi said.
Ukrainian technicians, monitored by the IAEA, began work on the 330kV Ferosplavna-1 line after demining, and the repairs are expected to take several days. The plant has been without external power since 20 August and has been relying on diesel generators to run essential cooling systems, with fuel supplies under increasing strain, the IAEA said.
Grossi added that the situation was “deeply concerning”, warning the plant could face a station blackout within days without restored external power or continued diesel supplies.
Russia says it will not strike Kyiv for three days during US visit
05:30 , Shahana YasminRussia has ordered its military not to strike Kyiv for three days as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travel to the Ukrainian capital, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Putin later told the envoys he had received a request through diplomatic and intelligence channels to guarantee their safety. “I issued the relevant order, and no strikes have been carried out on Kyiv since midnight,” he said.
Watch: Modi urges Putin to end Ukraine war ‘for humanity’s sake’
05:15 , Shahana YasminIndian prime minister Narendra Modi urged Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine during talks in Bishkek on 31 August, saying “every step toward peace gives all of humanity real hope”.
Putin thanked Modi and replied: “We are moving forward along this path.”
Putin praises Trump’s efforts to end Ukraine war
05:00 , Shahana YasminVladimir Putin praised Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine as he met the US president’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow.
Speaking at the start of the meeting, Putin said: “Understanding that he is entering a difficult situation, he nevertheless does not stop his efforts to help bring about a settlement and to make his contribution to resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.”
Witkoff, meanwhile, said Trump had sent his best wishes and thanked Putin for the limited ceasefire during their visit.
The talks lasted more than three hours, with Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov later describing them as “highly useful”, although no breakthrough was announced.
Kremlin says Putin’s Ukraine peace demands remain ‘unshakeable’
04:45 , Shahana YasminThe Kremlin said on Friday that Vladimir Putin’s demands for ending the war in Ukraine remained “unshakeable”, one day before the Russian president was due to meet US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow.
Moscow says Ukraine must cede the entirety of the four regions claimed by Russia – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – and abandon its ambition to join NATO. Kyiv has consistently rejected surrendering territory.
Trump said on Friday that Witkoff and Kushner were taking “a proposal to end the war”, but did not disclose its contents. After their meeting with Putin on Saturday, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the US envoys had “outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement”.
Kremlin says Putin’s Ukraine peace demands remain ‘unshakeable’
04:30 , Shahana YasminThe Kremlin said on Friday that Vladimir Putin’s demands for ending the war in Ukraine remained “unshakeable”, one day before the Russian president was due to meet US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow.
Moscow says Ukraine must cede the entirety of the four regions claimed by Russia – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – and abandon its ambition to join NATO. Kyiv has consistently rejected surrendering territory.
Trump said on Friday that Witkoff and Kushner were taking “a proposal to end the war”, but did not disclose its contents. After their meeting with Putin on Saturday, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the US envoys had “outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement”.
ICYMI: Russian attacks kill 4 in Ukraine as Moscow and Kyiv prepare for visit by US envoys
04:15 , Shahana Yasmin
Russian attacks kill 4 in Ukraine as Moscow and Kyiv prepare for visit by US envoys
Putin says Russia is making ‘real progress’ in Ukraine
04:00 , Shahana YasminRussian President Vladimir Putin told US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that Russia was making “real progress” on the battlefield and remained confident of achieving its goals in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
Ushakov said Putin also stressed the need to address “all the root causes of the conflict” during more than three hours of talks in Moscow on Saturday.
Ukraine said Russia launched ballistic missiles and 167 drones overnight on Saturday, with 128 drones shot down or suppressed and strikes recorded at 23 locations. Five people were killed and five injured when a Russian ballistic missile hit an industrial enterprise in Kamianske, while Russian drones struck an Epicenter shopping centre in Mykolaiv, injuring two people.
Putin has ordered Russian forces not to strike Kyiv for three days from midnight on Saturday, while Zelensky said Ukraine would refrain from strikes on Moscow through Monday.
Witkoff and Kushner left Moscow after the talks and are due to meet Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday.
Putin holds three-hour talks with Trump envoys with no breakthrough
03:48 , Shahana YasminRussian president Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow on Saturday, but there was no sign of a breakthrough in efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said the Americans had “outlined a number of ideas regarding possible avenues for a settlement”, but did not disclose details. He described the talks as “timely and highly useful for both sides” and said they went beyond Ukraine to include economic issues and potential Russian-US projects.
A White House official described the talks as “substantive”, saying the next steps would be announced in the coming weeks. Witkoff and Kushner left Moscow after the meeting and are due in Kyiv on Sunday.
Putin meets with US envoys for three hours
03:04 , Holly BancroftRussian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump's envoys on Ukraine held "useful" talks on Saturday on a range of ideas to end the war in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
Another Russian official, Kirill Dmitriev, described Witkoff and Kushner’s trip to Moscow as an "important peacemaking visit," in the first Russian assessment following three hours of talks hosted by President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.
Dmitriev, who took part in the talks, posted the comment on X along with pictures of himself seeing off US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at a Moscow airport after the talks.
Serbia faces EU scrutiny over upcoming funeral of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic
02:07 , Holly BancroftThe European Union is closely watching how membership candidate Serbia will handle the funeral of the former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic, who was convicted of genocide by a UN court but remains a hero to many Serbs, an EU official said on Friday.
The EU's Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said that the next few days “will be a very important test” after Mladic's remains were flown to Serbia on a government plane Thursday from The Hague, Netherlands, following his death in a hospital there last week.
Mladic was sentenced in 2017 to life imprisonment for orchestrating the massacre of more than 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995; the yearslong siege of Bosnian capital of Sarajevo during the 1992-95 conflict; and other war crimes, including setting up concentration camps for detained non-Serb civilians and enemy soldiers.
Read more here:
Serbia faces EU scrutiny over upcoming funeral of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic
Russian general accused of masterminding attack on children’s hospital ‘shot in head’
01:07 , Holly BancroftA Russian general who was linked with an attack on a children’s hospital in Ukraine is seriously injured after being shot in the head, according to reports, writes Alex Croft.
Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich is said to have been shot on Thursday morning in the village of Probuzhdenie near Engels, in Russia’s Saratov region.
Independent Russian outlet SotaVision said the attack was the third assassination attempt on Russian officers in the past two weeks.
Russian online newspaper Mash reported that the shooter rode up to a private home on a motorcycle and fired one bullet in the torso and one in the face. The air force officer’s driver was also reportedly shot but was able to call an ambulance.
Varpakhovich is believed to be in a critical condition in hospital, Mash reported.
Russian general accused of masterminding attack on school ‘shot in head’
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva unable to compete after neutral status revoked
Sunday 6 September 2026 00:36 , Holly BancroftRussian figure skater Kamila Valieva is no longer eligible to compete in international events after her neutral athlete status was revoked, according to AP.
The latest twist in Valieva’s career comes more than four years after disputes about her positive doping test overshadowed the 2022 Beijing Olympics. She returned from a lengthy ban in December 2025 and has since competed in events in Russia.
A source told AP that Valieva was initially granted neutral status under a new International Skating Union rule for this season which states that skaters from Russia and Belarus are “presumed eligible unless they fall within the disqualifying criteria.”
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva unable to compete after neutral status revoked
Recap: Putin says talks with US envoys are 'beneficial'
Sunday 6 September 2026 00:04 , Holly BancroftRussian President Vladimir Putin told US special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Saturday that contacts between Moscow and Washington were always beneficial, and that Russia found it convenient to work with them.
Mr Witkoff said US President Donald Trump had sent his best wishes to Mr Putin and thanked him for a ceasefire during the US delegation's visit. Mr Putin said Russia would do its utmost to ensure the safety of the mediators.
The two US special representatives arrived in Moscow for talks on ending the war in Ukraine.
Russian ministry reports fewer Ukrainian drones in airspace
Saturday 5 September 2026 23:17 , Holly BancroftThe Russian Defence Ministry reported 53 Ukrainian drones in Russian airspace on Saturday, significantly fewer than the average seen in recent months. Moscow is celebrating City Day on Saturday, with hundreds of thousands of people taking part in open-air festivities across the city.
A vast gulf remains between Russia and Ukraine on how to end the war, the deadliest in Europe since World War Two. A source close to the Kremlin, speaking before reports emerged of a possible trip by Trump's envoys, said Mr Putin was still intent on capturing more territory.
"There is no chance of reaching an agreement regarding the front line until Mr Putin finishes securing the remaining part of the Donetsk region," the source told Reuters, adding that the Kremlin leader was confident based on reports from his commanders that this would happen by the end of the year.
US envoy Steve Witkoff thanks Putin for the 'incredible memories'
Saturday 5 September 2026 23:02 , Holly BancroftUS envoy Steve Witkoff told Russian president Vladimir Putin in their meeting with Moscow that he was reflecting on all the “incredible and stories” that he will have when he retires.
The discussions reportedly lasted three hours but in a televised introduction Mr Witkoff told Mr Putin: “We were sitting outside just now, me, Jared, and Carol and then Yuri joined us, and we were all talking about when we retire we’ll have all these incredible stories and incredible memories and yours will be right at the top of it all”.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff tells Vladimir Putin, whose invading army has killed hundreds of thousands of people, raped and pillaged while waging the largest and bloodiest war on European soil since World War II, “when we retire, we’ll have all these incredible stories…
Putin tells Trump envoys that situation in Ukraine is 'difficult'
Saturday 5 September 2026 22:01 , Holly BancroftRussian president Vladimir Putin has told Trump’s envoys to Moscow that the situation in Ukraine is “difficult”.
Mr Putin also noted in his opening remarks that the intensity of Ukrainian attacks on Russia has also decreased and promised to ensure the safety of the US negotiators.
He said Russia did not yet agree to a broader three-day ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had spoken to the two US envoys set to visit Ukraine on Sunday, adding that Ukraine was prepared to refrain from strikes on Moscow through Monday.
Nato should not tolerate hybrid war, US ambassador says after Berlin blames Russia for drone attack
Saturday 5 September 2026 21:03 , Holly BancroftNato members should not tolerate deliberate actions of hybrid war, and the United States will stand by countries as they deal with these incidents, Matthew Whitaker, the US ambassador to NATO, said on Saturday.
Mr Whitaker said last month's attempted drone attack at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport, which Berlin has blamed on Russia, was more worrying than other recent incidents Nato members have faced due to Russian drones targeting Ukraine that strayed off course.
The response to these challenges is primarily national, but the United States supports countries when they are dealing with these acts, he said.
"Then you have what I would call the more concerning hybrid actions like we saw in Leipzig, like we have seen in Poland," Mr Whitaker said speaking on the sidelines of a business conference in Italy.
Nato members must be prepared, vigilant and also deliver a strong message when they are challenged by these events, he said.
"If we can identify who's doing it which Germany did we make sure we express strongly that is unacceptable and we will not tolerate it," Mr Whitaker said. Critical infrastructure, including energy assets, could be targeted and should be monitored by national authorities, he added.
In pictures: US presidential envoys meet with Putin
Saturday 5 September 2026 21:02 , Holly BancroftRussian President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev attend a meeting with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, at the Kremlin in Moscow.
The US envoys are meeting both Mr Putin and later Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky in a bid to progress peace talks.
Recap: Russian drone strikes Ukraine ‘MI5’ headquarters ahead of US peace talks
Saturday 5 September 2026 20:06 , Holly BancroftUkraine’s security service headquarters was set alight after a Russian drone struck it ahead of diplomatic talks with US officials on ending the war, writes Bryony Gooch.
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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that Russia would face a proportionate response.
“I spoke with the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr Poklad. Unfortunately, a Russian drone struck the central building of the Security Service of Ukraine on Volodymyrska Street in Kyiv, across from St. Sophia Cathedral,” he said.
“All emergency services are on the scene. Everyone affected will receive the necessary assistance. The drone was aimed directly at the office of the Head of the Security Service in that building.
“I instructed Poklad to deliver an appropriate, tangible response and, where possible, one that mirrors this strike, to the Russians once everything is ready. Our military will support this response. Glory to Ukraine!”
Russian drone strikes Ukraine ‘MI5’ headquarters ahead of US peace talks
Putin welcomes talks with US envoys
Saturday 5 September 2026 19:37 , Holly BancroftRussian President Vladimir Putin told US special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Saturday that contacts between Moscow and Washington were always beneficial, and that Russia found it convenient to work with them, Reuters has reported.
Mr Witkoff said US President Donald Trump had sent his best wishes to Mr Putin and thanked him for a ceasefire during the US delegation's visit. Mr Putin said Russia would do its utmost to ensure the safety of the mediators.
The two US special representatives arrived in Moscow for talks on ending the war in Ukraine.
UN votes to adopt new world map that shows the true size of all countries
Saturday 5 September 2026 19:05 , Holly BancroftThe UN general assembly has voted to replace the traditional world map with one that more accurately reflects the size of all nations, writes Stuti Mishra.
The approved resolution calls for the world to move away from the traditional Mercator map, which shrinks the size of Africa and exaggerates northern landmasses.
The "Correct the Map" resolution, sponsored by Togo, passed with the support of 164 nations, including the UK. The US was the only nation to vote against it, with six other abstentions.
The resolution is non-binding, but asks governments, schools, international organisations, and technology companies to adopt the Equal Earth projection and other equal-area maps wherever the true scale of continents matters, with the aim of establishing more proportionally accurate maps as a new global norm. It does not seek to ban the Mercator projection outright.
The Mercator projection, which is currently used worldwide, increases distortion the further a region sits from the equator. Since Africa straddles the equator, it seems comparatively smaller than its actual size, while Europe, North America, Greenland, and Russia all appear substantially larger than they are.
UN votes to adopt new world map
What we know about US envoys' trip to Moscow
Saturday 5 September 2026 18:00 , Holly BancroftSteve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US president Donald Trump’s two envoys, have arrived in Moscow ahead of talks aimed at ending the Ukraine war.
Mr Trump has said that Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner would be “bringing with them a proposal to end the war”. They are expected to meet both Russian president Vladimir Putin and then travel to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
The envoys were met at the airport by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, Russia’s state news agency Tass said.
Mr Dmitriev shared photos of him meeting the US delegation as they disembarked, alongside the caption, “Welcome to Moscow Peacemakers.”
The last known visit to Moscow by Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, was in January, when they met Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. They have never visited Kyiv, but Mr Zelenskyy said he was expecting them in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday.
Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner’s visit to Moscow comes just over a week after a visit by the head of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, to the capital.
In full: Update from Ukraine president about envoy talks
Saturday 5 September 2026 17:01 , Holly BancroftI have just spoken with the U.S. President’s envoys. They have already begun working with the Russian side today. From the moment of this conversation, we are ready to observe a ceasefire in airstrikes against the cities involved in the negotiation process. From now through the…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 5, 2026
Zelensky says there will be no strikes on Moscow while US envoys meet with Putin
Saturday 5 September 2026 15:59 , Holly BancroftUkraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine will refrain from airstrikes on Moscow while US envoys are in the city for talks with Putin.
Posting on X on Saturday afternoon, Mr Zelensky said:”We are waiting for Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and are ready for a substantive conversation”.
He added: “I have just spoken with the US President’s envoys. They have already begun working with the Russian side today. From the moment of this conversation, we are ready to observe a ceasefire in airstrikes against the cities involved in the negotiation process. From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow, and we expect the Russians to do the same regarding Kyiv.”
Zelensky says Russia targeted Kyiv airports in response to US peace push
Saturday 5 September 2026 15:00 , Shahana YasminVolodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of deliberately targeting airports in Kyiv and Boryspil overnight in response to preparations for US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to visit Ukraine.
Zelensky said the strikes were “a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine”, adding that Kyiv had recorded the move and would adjust its operations against Russian airspace next week.
“Of course, there are and will be no threats to diplomacy from our side,” he said.
The strikes came as Russia launched 167 attack drones and ballistic missiles overnight, according to Ukraine’s air force. Five people were killed and five wounded in a strike on an industrial facility in Kamianske, while Russian drones also hit shopping centres and residential areas across several regions.
Russian general accused of masterminding attack on children’s hospital ‘shot in head’
Saturday 5 September 2026 14:15 , Shahana YasminA Russian general who was linked with an attack on a children’s hospital in Ukraine is seriously injured after being shot in the head, according to reports.
Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich is said to have been shot on Thursday morning in the village of Probuzhdenie near Engels, in Russia’s Saratov region.
Independent Russian outlet SotaVision said the attack was the third assassination attempt on Russian officers in the past two weeks.
Russian general accused of masterminding attack on school ‘shot in head’
Putin orders pause in Kyiv strikes, Moscow claims
Saturday 5 September 2026 13:41 , Shahana YasminRussian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s Tass news agency Saturday.
“Putin has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight today,” Peskov said. He said the decision was tied to preparations for U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to visit Kyiv for peace talks.
Mr Peskov also said that the Russian leader would meet with Mr Kushner and Mr Witkoff today as well.
Russia strikes Ukraine’s security service headquarters in central Kyiv
Saturday 5 September 2026 13:30 , Shahana YasminA Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in central Kyiv on Friday, targeting the office of acting SBU chief Oleksandr Poklad, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The attack injured at least 15 people, Ukrainian authorities later said.
Zelensky said he had ordered Poklad to prepare an “appropriate, tangible response” and, if possible, one that “mirrors this strike”. “The geography of our response has been determined. The timing will be chosen to ensure results,” he said.
The SBU separately warned: “The Russians will receive a painful response to their strikes – more special operations, exposed agent networks and destroyed enemies.”
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha called the attack “a major escalation”, saying Moscow had launched it during a renewed push for peace.
Russia ignores ceasefire proposal as Trump envoys begin peace mission
Saturday 5 September 2026 12:45 , Shahana YasminUkraine says Russia has failed to respond to a proposed temporary ceasefire, as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday for talks with Vladimir Putin.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, told public broadcaster Suspilne that the proposal had been communicated directly to Putin, but Russia had not agreed to it, according to the Kyiv Post.
Russian attacks have continued, including strikes that killed five people at an industrial facility in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Budanov said he expected Russia would probably avoid striking Kyiv while Witkoff and Kushner are due to visit the capital on Sunday.
The pair arrived in Moscow on Saturday and were met at the airport by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, according to TASS.
