Key developments on Sept. 27:
- Trump meets with Zelensky, says his views on ending the war 'as soon as possible' have not changed
- Crimean bridge defenses being bolstered by underwater drone traps, according to reports
- US intelligence warns of risks in permitting Ukraine's long-range strikes, NYT reports
- Ombudsman denies reports on Qatar-brokered Ukraine-Russia deal on 'children exchange'
- 'Attack on Belarus is World War III,' Lukashenko claims amid calls for changes to Russian nuclear doctrine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said everything possible must be done to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. Zelensky made the remarks on Sept. 27 after meeting with Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump in New York City.
"This war should not have started. I think that the problem is that Putin killed so many people, and of course, we need to do everything to pressure him to stop this war," Zelensky said in a joint interview with Trump for Fox News.
Zelensky met with Trump for the first time in five years during his trip to the U.S., where he held a series of high-level meetings with foreign leaders, visited the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, and addressed the U.N. General Assembly.
Ukraine's president also introduced Trump to his "victory plan," which he had presented a day earlier to U.S. President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
Following his meeting with Trump, Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine seeks only a just peace and relies on continued U.S. support in the ongoing full-scale war launched by Russia.
Trump said he has "learned a lot" as the war continues but noted that his views on ending it "as soon as possible" have not changed.
"The president (Zelensky) wants it to end as quickly as possible. He wants a fair transaction to take place," Trump said.
"If I win (in the presidential election), we're going to have a very fair and, I think, rather rapid deal. It (the war) should stop, and the president (Zelensky) wants it to stop, and I'm sure President Putin wants it to stop. And that's a good combination," Trump added.
When asked how he sees the war ending, Trump evaded the question, saying it was "too early" to discuss and that both he and Zelensky had their "own ideas" on the matter.
Zelensky and Trump did not disclose whether another meeting between them would take place soon. However, the Ukrainian president invited the Republican nominee to visit Ukraine, and Trump accepted the invitation.
Recently, Trump's rhetoric toward Zelensky and U.S. support for Ukraine has become more critical. He has claimed that Zelensky wants Democrats to win the upcoming presidential election, referring to him as "the greatest salesman on earth."
Republican leaders on Sept. 25 also accused Zelensky of interfering in the election by visiting an ammunition factory in U.S. President Joe Biden's hometown of Scranton, Pennyslvania, a hotly contested battleground state.
House Speaker Mike Johnson demanded that Zelensky fire Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Makarovka, for her role in arranging the tour.
The Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee also announced he was opening an investigation into the Biden-Harris administration's alleged misuse of government funds.
Zelensky criticized Trump's plans for an end to the war in an interview with the New Yorker earlier this week. He called Trump's running mate, Republican Senator J.D. Vance, "too radical" and said the war should not end at Ukraine's expense.
Olivier Dupuis
Crimean bridge defenses being bolstered by underwater drone traps, according to reports
Russia is attempting to bolster defenses around the Crimean Bridge using underwater drone traps, it was reported on Sept. 27.
According to the Crimean Wind Telegram channel, the metal structures have been put in place using barges and a floating crane for the last month.
An unverified photo accompanying the post showed a barge pulling what resembles a large section of metal fencing.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the report, but it comes a day after Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said Russian forces were building a new but unidentified structure near the Crimean Bridge.
"It could be a defense structure, it could be another crossing, but it's a bit early to draw conclusions," he added.
Construction on the 19-kilometer-long bridge began after the illegal occupation of Crimea in 2014 and was completed in 2018.
After becoming a critical supply route for Russian forces after the launch of Moscow's full-scale invasion, it has been attacked by Kyiv's forces on several occasions, and was heavily damaged by Ukrainian strikes in October 2022 and July 2023.
Ukraine is reported to have been testing an underwater sea drone dubbed Marichka, but scant details have been made public.
The Crimean Bridge is currently the subject of a dispute between Ukraine and Russia at the Permanent Court of Arbitration
Speaking there on Sept. 23, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Anton Korynevych, said Russia "wants to take the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait for itself."
"So it has built a great gate at their entrance, to keep international shipping out while allowing small Russian river vessels in," he said.
"The bridge is unlawful, and it must come down."
Kateryna Denisova
US intelligence warns of risks in permitting Ukraine's long-range strikes, NYT reports
U.S. intelligence agencies have cautioned that Russia may respond with increased force, potentially including lethal attacks on the U.S. and its allies, if Ukraine is allowed to use long-range missiles supplied by the U.S., U.K., and France for strikes deep into Russian territory, the New York Times reported.
The news outlet cited a previously unreported assessment that also downplays the strategic impact these long-range missiles might have on the war, mentioning Ukraine's limited supply and the uncertainty over how many more Western nations may provide those missiles.
The analysis underscores the significant risks and uncertain benefits of the decision, which now lies with President Joe Biden, following his meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Sept. 26.
The difficulty in President Biden's decision-making on Ukraine's request for long-range missiles is partly rooted in concerns highlighted by U.S. intelligence, American officials told the New York Times. Zelensky has been pushing both publicly and privately to gain permission to target Russian territory with the advanced missiles.
Vladimir Putin has regularly used threats to deter the U.S. and its allies from sending more sophisticated weaponry to Ukraine. Critics argue that Biden’s administration has been overly cautious, claiming their slow, incremental approach to arming Ukraine has hurt their performance on the battlefield. On the other hand, supporters of the current strategy point to its effectiveness in avoiding major Russian retaliation, though they admit this balance may now be at risk.
The intelligence assessment outlines a range of potential Russian reactions if the U.S. and European nations authorize Ukraine to carry out long-range strikes with their supplied missiles. These responses could include increased acts of sabotage and arson targeting infrastructure across Europe, and even potentially lethal attacks on military installations belonging to the U.S. and its allies.
According to U.S. officials, most of the sabotage in Europe so far has been orchestrated by Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU). If Putin opts to escalate this covert campaign in response to missile strikes deep inside Russian territory, officials believe the Kremlin would likely continue to operate in the shadows, avoiding direct and open attacks on U.S. and European military facilities to prevent triggering a broader conflict.
Asami Terajima
Ombudsman denies reports on Qatar-brokered Ukraine-Russia deal on 'children exchange'
Kyiv did not conduct a Qatar-brokered "exchange" of children with Moscow, Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Sept. 27.
Lubinets refuted an AFP report citing an unnamed Qatari official who claimed nine children and one adult had allegedly returned to Ukraine, while four children "will be reunited with their families in Russia." under the agreement.
According to the ombudsman, no deals were made between the two countries and the reports are "promoting Russian narratives."
Qatar has acted as a mediator between Kyiv and Moscow to bring back Ukrainian children illegally held by Russia.
International humanitarian law does not provide for such a process as the exchange of children, Lubinets said.
"Ukraine has not kidnapped and does not hold Russian children on its territory, nor does it prevent their return to Russia if they are on our territory," he added.
Over 19,500 children have been confirmed as abducted by Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and less than 400 of them have been returned home, according to the Children of War database.
Dinara Khalilova
'Attack on Belarus is World War III,' Lukashenko claims amid calls for changes to Russian nuclear doctrine
An attack on Belarus would lead to World War III, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko claimed on Sept. 27, following Russian President Vladimir Putin's call to update Russia's nuclear doctrine, according to the Belarusian state-owned news agency Belta.
Putin proposed a series of changes to Russia's nuclear doctrine on Sept. 25 during a Security Council meeting on nuclear deterrence.
He announced that Russia could respond to conventional missile strikes with nuclear weapons and indicated that Moscow would treat any attack backed by a nuclear-armed country as a coordinated assault.
He also stated that Russia retains the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of an attack, including if an enemy using conventional weapons poses a critical threat to Russia and Belarus.
"An attack on Belarus is World War III," Lukashenko said.
"Putin recently confirmed this by amending the nuclear doctrine, that in an attack on Russia and Belarus, we use nuclear weapons," Lukashenko added, thanking his Russian counterpart for the recent move.
The Belarusian dictator claimed that NATO countries had allegedly deployed troops on the border with Belarus, specifically in Poland.
"The red line is the state border. If you step on it, there will be an immediate response. We are preparing for that," Lukashenko said.
Russia's decision to modify its nuclear doctrine is a direct response to discussions in the U.S. and U.K. about whether to allow Ukraine to launch conventional Western missiles into Russian territory.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Sept. 26 that updates had been made to a document titled "The Foundations of State Policy in the Sphere of Nuclear Deterrence."
While Belarus doesn't have nuclear weapons of its own, Russia has allegedly moved some of its nuclear arsenal to Belarus.
Kateryna Hodunova
