UK defense secretary arrives in Ukraine as Kyiv signals 'important' military decisions

The number includes 970 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

The Astrakhan gas processing plant in southern Russia has stopped production following a fire at the facility caused by a drone attack, three industry sources told Reuters.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in New York to attend the ongoing U.N. General Assembly, Russian state media reported early on Sept. 24.

"Gradually, he realized that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin was simply sharing some information that was far from the truth on the battlefield. Now he trusts me much more because the information that my intelligence has, that we share with our partners," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form," Trump wrote on his Truth Social following his meeting with the Ukrainian president.

According to FT, 16 of Russia's 38 oil refineries have been struck by Ukrainian drones since August 2025. The disruptions have limited Russia's refining capacity by over 1 million barrels per day, the research group Energy Aspects told FT, dropping exports to below pre-war levels.

The decision comes nearly two weeks after Warsaw shut road and rail crossings on Sept. 12, ahead of the Russian-Belarusian military exercises Zapad-2025.

During his speech to the UN Security Council on Sept. 23, President Volodymyr Zelensky called on members of the Coalition of the Willing to assist Ukraine in shooting down Russian missiles and drones fired over Ukrainian airspace.

The attack came around the time a meeting was being held between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The meeting, their fourth since Trump returned to office in January, comes as tensions between NATO and Moscow flare up over Russian aerial incursions into allied countries.

Asked whether NATO allies should fire on Russian planes entering their territory, U.S. President Donald Trump replied: "Yes, I do."

"Europe has to step it up. They can't be doing what they're doing. They're buying oil and gas from Russia while they're fighting Russia," U.S. President Donald Trump told world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly.

"The message must be unequivocal: future violations will meet a response — including, if necessary, the interception and downing of intruding aircraft. This is not only about defending Estonia's borders — it's about defending NATO's borders," Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.