This week, a meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump took place in New York, the result of which was that the US president finally agreed to transfer licenses to Ukraine for the production of “Patriot” missiles, Russia began massive attacks on Ukrainian data centers, and the EU approved the transfer of almost €3 billion to Ukraine within the “Ukraine Facility”.
Babel has compiled the main events of the week so that you can stay up to date with the news.
Zelensky and Trump meeting
The 81st session of the UN General Assembly is taking place in New York from September 22 to 28, with the participation of more than 130 heads of state and government. On the sidelines of the assembly, Volodymyr Zelensky met with Donald Trump.
Zelenskiy / Official
Among the main topics of the leadersʼ talks was a possible ceasefire. In particular, Zelensky stressed that Ukraine is ready for a mutual cessation of energy strikes provided that Russia provides reliable guarantees of compliance with such agreements.
Following the meeting, Zelensky also stated that Trump had finally agreed to transfer licenses to Ukraine for the production of missiles for “Patriot” air defense systems.
However, according to the Ukrainian president, launching “Patriot” production in Ukraine could take a year or a year and a half.
Massive Russian attacks on Ukraine
Russia has launched over 2 200 drones, 1 650 aerial bombs, and 38 missiles of various types into Ukraine this week. Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and other regions have been hit. Dozens of people have been killed and injured.
In particular, the Russians began attacking data centers, mainly in the capital. During the week, attacks were recorded on the data centers of the companies "Pavutyna", “MiroHost”, “Utels”, "Parkovy", "Datagroup", “Cosnomova”, "Kolo.TV" and others.
Due to damage to equipment and traffic exchange nodes in Kyiv and several regions, there were disruptions to the Internet and mobile communications.
Ukrainian attack on monastery in Poland
On September 24, a 31-year-old Ukrainian man attacked people at a Benedictine nunsʼ monastery in the Polish city of Jarosław. The attack killed a priest and injured four others.
Ukraineʼs Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar stated that the attack had no national basis. And eyewitnesses said that a few hours before the attack, the man asked the priest for financial assistance, but was refused.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the incident a “horrible crime”. He expressed condolences to the victim’s family and said that those responsible for the crime must be punished according to the law.
It turned out that the attacker had signs of mental illness. He was taken to the hospital, where he will serve three months in prison. The Ukrainian was informed of suspicion of murder, attempted murder, and causing bodily harm.
Ekonomat / X
EU removes Russian oligarchs from sanctions list
On September 22, the European Union extended personal sanctions against Russia for 36 months, until September 22, 2029.
However, Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mykhailo Fridman were excluded from the sanctions list.
Euronews, citing sources, wrote that France and Slovakia demanded the exclusion of the oligarchs from the sanctions list. Croatia and Italy supported the decision in order to reach a compromise.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called the decision “shameful and unjustified” and called on EU countries to impose their own national sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman. Latvia and Estonia agreed to this.
The EU approved the transfer of almost €3 billion to Ukraine under the Ukraine Facility
On September 24, the EU Council approved the eighth regular disbursement to Ukraine under the “Ukraine Facility”. Ukraine is set to receive almost €3 billion, of which approximately €800 million will be disbursed for the first time under the Ukraine Support Loan.
The disbursement was agreed after Ukraine completed ten required steps. In total, Ukraine has completed 84 of the 95 required steps since the program began.
After this disbursement, the total amount of funds received by Ukraine under the Ukraine Facility since mid-2024 will exceed €32 billion.
Xi Jinpingʼs first visit to the US in 11 years
On September 23, Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived for a two-day visit to the United States for the first time in 11 years. Donald Trump met him in person at Andrews Air Force Base, and the United States reported that it was extending a trade truce with China until January 2027.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said ahead of the visit that he had asked Trump during talks with Xi Jinping to urge him to influence Putin to end the war or at least de-escalate. But Xi Jinping made no commitment to force Russia to make peace.
Getty Images / «Babel'»
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.