Ukraine in September 2026: the most important developments in politics
In September 2026 Ukraine's politics were dominated by a US push for peace talks. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Vladimir Putin in Moscow on September 5 and Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on September 6 and 7. Zelensky called the talks substantive, and no outcome was announced. Donald Trump spoke with Putin by phone on September 8, and the Kremlin said it did not rule out three-way talks with the US and Ukraine in October. Kushner said territory was the hardest obstacle. Zelensky said on September 12 that he would meet Putin at the G20 summit in Miami in December, and the Kremlin replied that he should come to Moscow.
The second theme was an energy truce. On September 13 and 14 Trump called on Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian refineries and diesel facilities, citing fuel prices, and said the two sides had agreed to stop hitting energy targets. Zelensky said Ukraine was ready for an energy ceasefire if the US ensured Moscow's intent, and on September 16 said Russia had not agreed. Macron, Trump and Zelensky met in New York on September 22 as the UN General Assembly opened. The Kremlin rejected a ceasefire the same day, and on September 23 Lavrov said Russia was ready for talks but would not pause its campaign. On September 25 Zelensky said the US proposed a three-way meeting in the United Arab Emirates, and on September 28 he responded positively to Trump's request not to attack Russian oil facilities.
EU foreign ministers met on September 29 without agreeing a new military aid package. Hungary's veto continued to slow Ukraine's EU accession.
South Korea demanded an apology after Ukraine disclosed the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul. South Korea said the disclosure broke a confidentiality agreement; Ukraine denied that any such pact existed.
Russia held parliamentary elections on September 18 to 20, including in occupied areas, and the ruling United Russia party took 57.5 percent.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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