U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York on Wednesday, as Washington pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine and Kyiv and Moscow continue to strike energy infrastructure.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that both Russia and Ukraine had expressed interest in a limited ceasefire covering grain and energy-related targets.
Speaking after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in New York, Rubio said such an agreement would not be easy, while noting that attacks on energy infrastructure remain central to both sides’ military priorities.
Ukraine has been pressing for ceasefires covering energy infrastructure and Black Sea shipping. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was ready for a maritime truce and called on Russia to respond to proposals aimed at ensuring safe shipping and food security.
Russia has not publicly indicated that it is ready to agree to an energy or maritime ceasefire.
Russian drone attacks disrupted internet services for about 100,000 households in Kyiv and the surrounding region on Wednesday, Ukraine’s Digital Ministry said.
The ministry said experts were assessing the damage and carrying out repairs after the attacks, which lasted for several hours from the morning into the early afternoon.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that he hoped Russian President Vladimir Putin would accept an invitation to attend the G20 summit.
Rubio said Putin’s attendance would provide an opportunity for him to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday there were still no conditions for renewed peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, although Moscow remained open to negotiations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the comments ahead of a planned meeting in New York between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he was ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at a trilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. Peskov said Putin remained ready for a one-on-one meeting with Trump if both sides considered it necessary.
But Peskov said Russia’s position on a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting had not changed, with Moscow insisting that Zelenskyy travel to Russia. Kyiv has rejected that proposal and said any meeting should take place in a neutral country.
Peskov also said a summit would be premature without sufficient groundwork at expert level.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday, Interfax reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that record turnout in the 18-20 September parliamentary election showed support for the authorities’ agenda and the country’s armed forces.
Near-complete results released on Monday showed the ruling United Russia party had retained its decisive majority in the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament.
A Russian military Mi-8 helicopter made a brief incursion into Polish airspace from Kaliningrad, the Polish Army Operational Command said on Wednesday.
At least two people were killed and nearly 30 others injured after Russia and Ukraine exchanged accusations over overnight airstrikes.Ukraine said Russian attacks targeted Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Zhytomyr regions, damaging civilian and infrastructure sites.
Authorities in Kyiv reported one death and seven injuries, while Odesa officials said one person was killed in strikes on port and civilian infrastructure. Ukraine’s Air Force said its air defences shot down 122 Russian drones overnight.
Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed it intercepted 514 Ukrainian drones over several regions, the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and Crimea. Russian officials also reported injuries in the Belgorod and Bryansk regions following alleged Ukrainian drone strikes.
Both sides said their attacks targeted military-related facilities and denied deliberately striking civilian infrastructure.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday there were still no grounds for peace talks with Ukraine, while insisting Russia remained open to negotiations.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could come to Moscow for talks, an option Ukraine has rejected in favour of meeting in a neutral country.
The Kremlin has criticised British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s remarks at the UN General Assembly, accusing London of fostering “anti-Russian sentiment” and worsening tensions in Europe.
Burnham told the UN on Tuesday that the UK would establish a new National Centre for Information Defence, while accusing Russia of spreading disinformation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Britain’s approach was “utterly short-sighted” and would not help reduce tensions or advance de-escalation in Europe.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in New York, where he is scheduled to address the 81st session of the UN General Assembly and notably hold talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Kirill Logvinov, the ministry's international organisations chief, told state news agency Tass that Lavrov is set to take part in 20 international meetings at the UN.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged to maintain pressure on Russia through sanctions during her first formal meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.
Takaichi made the pledge during talks with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
“Japan will work on Ukraine assistance and sanctions against Russia in coordination with the international community,” Takaichi told Zelenskyy during the roughly 20-minute meeting.
Russia attacked port and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine's southern Black Sea region of Odesa, the regional governor said.
Moscow also hit warehouses used to store medicines, household goods and food, Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.
Russia attacked a cargo vessel sailing under the Antigua and Barbuda flag in the Black Sea overnight, killing the captain, Ukraine's seaports authority said on Wednesday.
The attack had caused a fire, which was doused, and the crew had been evacuated, it said on the Telegram messaging app.
Polish airports in Lublin and Rzeszów have resumed air operations after a temporary closure due to operations of military aviation, the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) said.
Poland has suspended flight operations at Lublin and Rzeszów airports on Wednesday amid Russian strikes on Ukraine, the Polish Air Traffic Authority PANSA said in a post on X.
Russian forces hit Ukrainian defence and energy facilities, logistics centres and vessels used by the military in overnight drone strikes, the Russian defence ministry said on Wednesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that U.S. President Donald Trump did not demand that Ukraine unilaterally stop strikes on Russia's energy infrastructure during talks that took place earlier in the day.
Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly, he said Ukraine was ready for an energy ceasefire on the condition that Russia stops strikes against Ukraine.
“We are ready for an energy ceasefire if the Russians do not strike our energy infrastructure,” he said.
The talks come amid continued strikes, with Ukraine reporting attacks on Russian oil refineries and Ukrainian officials saying Russian strikes killed eight people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he discussed a possible bilateral ceasefire covering energy-related targets with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians, while Lavrov is due to address the UN General Assembly on Saturday.
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