Russia intensified attacks on Ukraine's Black Sea ports while Kyiv continued long-range drone strikes inside Russia, as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks that produced no breakthrough towards a ceasefire.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck the Black Sea ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk, targeting port infrastructure, fuel storage facilities, warehouses and cargo vessels that it claimed supported Ukraine's military. It also said it had destroyed facilities used to store Ukrainian drones.
Ukraine, meanwhile, continued long-range drone strikes inside Russia, targeting logistics and industrial facilities that Kyiv says support Moscow's war effort. Russian officials reported casualties and damage to infrastructure in southern regions and Russian-controlled Crimea following overnight attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spoke by telephone on Wednesday about ways to reinvigorate diplomacy and advance efforts to end the more than four-year war with Russia. Both Kyiv and the White House confirmed the call, which came as U.S.-led efforts to broker a settlement have largely stalled in recent months amid Washington's focus on the conflict with Iran.
The diplomatic push continued on Thursday when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in Manila. The talks formed part of renewed efforts to revive negotiations over Ukraine, but neither side announced any breakthrough towards a ceasefire.
Lavrov reiterated that Moscow remained open to a political settlement while insisting any agreement must address what Russia describes as the conflict's "root causes". Ukraine continues to reject any settlement that compromises its sovereignty or territorial integrity.
The renewed diplomatic contacts came as Ukraine reshuffled its military leadership. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi as commander-in-chief, tasking him with increasing pressure on Russian forces while continuing to seek additional air defence systems and military support from Western allies.
Read more:
World leaders return to the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday...
Finland and Sweden deployed fighter aircraft on Thursday after a group of Russian military planes was detected over the Gulf of Finland, the Finnis...
Iran’s top leaders are using the ongoing UN General Assembly in New York to push Tehran’s position on key regional and international di...
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with the United States nor re-open the Strait as long as its conditions are not met, despite recent indirect talks in New York mediated by Qatar.
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
The 81st UN General Assembly continues in New York on Wednesday, with another day of high-level speeches and diplomatic meetings. The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, global security and international cooperation remain at the centre of discussions.
The 81st UN General Assembly has wrapped up its third day in New York on Thursday, with world leaders delivering high-level speeches and holding diplomatic meetings.
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan will hold an urgent high-level meeting under a joint defence pact to discuss ways to support the kingdom amid attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis. The meeting comes as Tehran seeks to distance itself from the rapid advance of its Houthi allies.
World leaders return to the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday for the fourth day of the high-level General Debate, with speeches and diplomatic meetings continuing throughout the day.
Finland and Sweden deployed fighter aircraft on Thursday after a group of Russian military planes was detected over the Gulf of Finland, the Finnish Air Force reported on Friday (25 September).
The Middle East arrived at the United Nations this week with the consequences of a war that is no longer contained to one front. From Israel and Iran to Syria and Yemen, leaders have used the General Assembly to set out competing positions on the situation in the region.
Here’s your AnewZ Daily Brief for 25 September 2026, with five key developments from the third day of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Xi Jinping touched down at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday evening to a welcome that was fairly unprecedented. President Donald Trump was there on the tarmac to greet him personally, which is something no sitting U.S. president had done for a visiting foreign leader in six decades.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment