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Trump Offers to Help Putin Find Deal with Ukraine, Also Speaks with Zelenskiy

FILE - US President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin, Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
FILE - US President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin, Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
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Trump Offers to Help Putin Find Deal with Ukraine, Also Speaks with Zelenskiy

FILE - US President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin, Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
FILE - US President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin, Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

US President Donald Trump, speaking to Russian leader Vladimir Putin by telephone for nearly 90 minutes, offered to help find a solution to the Ukraine war, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said in comments made public early on Sunday.

Ushakov said Trump made the offer during the call on Saturday, US Independence Day, in the context of his participation next week at the NATO summit in Türkiye, Reuters reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he also spoke to Trump.

"The American president once again confirmed his ‌readiness to work towards ‌a rapid end to the fighting and find ‌solutions to ⁠overcome the crisis," ⁠Ushakov said of Trump's call with the Russian president.

Ushakov, who described the conversation as "business-like and quite constructive," said Russia sought "a political-diplomatic resolution of the conflict, with due account of Russia's fundamental approach."

Ushakov accused Kyiv and its European allies of "counting on extending and even escalating the conflict, and on terrorism against civilians."

He was referring to Ukraine's long-range strikes on Russian targets, mainly linked to the oil industry, which have triggered fuel ⁠shortages in several Russian regions.

Ushakov said Putin "depicted the real ‌situation on the battlefield where the Russian ‌armed forces are confidently advancing, liberating one locality after another."

Russian commanders told Putin on Friday ‌that Moscow's troops had captured the strategically important city of Kostiantynivka in eastern ‌Ukraine's Donetsk region. On Saturday, Zelenskiy and Ukraine's General Staff dismissed that claim, saying Kyiv's forces still controlled the city.

Russia has said any solution must include Moscow assuming full control over Ukraine's Donbas region.

Ukraine rejects that assertion and Zelenskiy urged Putin last month to ‌hold a one-on-one meeting with him, but the Kremlin leader refused.

US ENVOYS

Ushakov quoted Trump as saying that Washington's envoys, Steve ⁠Witkoff and ⁠Jared Kushner, would keep trying to broker a settlement and were prepared to make another visit to Moscow. US diplomatic efforts have virtually stalled as Washington is focused on the war with Iran.

Ushakov said Putin expressed hope during the conversation that US diplomatic efforts in the Iran conflict would "allow for mutually acceptable long-term solutions to be found on key issues of a settlement."

Ushakov said Putin also reminded Trump that he had an open invitation to visit Moscow.

Zelenskiy, writing on his Telegram account, described his conversation with the US president as "very good," including a discussion on the war's 1,200-km (746-mile) front line.

"There is a real prospect to end this war and American resolve will have a crucial meaning," he said. Zelenskiy said he and Trump agreed to continue discussions at the NATO meeting.

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World

Russia Attacks Ukrainian Energy Grid, Forcing Power Cuts as Winter Looms

Rescue workers put out a fire at a residential house destroyed in a Russian missile strike on Vyshhorod, Kyiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (AP)
Rescue workers put out a fire at a residential house destroyed in a Russian missile strike on Vyshhorod, Kyiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (AP)
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Russia Attacks Ukrainian Energy Grid, Forcing Power Cuts as Winter Looms

Rescue workers put out a fire at a residential house destroyed in a Russian missile strike on Vyshhorod, Kyiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (AP)
Rescue workers put out a fire at a residential house destroyed in a Russian missile strike on Vyshhorod, Kyiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (AP)

Russia unleashed a widely anticipated air campaign against Ukraine's energy grid on Wednesday, hitting power facilities and infrastructure around Kyiv and other regions in the heaviest combined attack on energy sites in months.

The strikes, in which Ukrainian officials said seven people were killed, followed days of intensifying drone barrages primarily on the capital, a prelude to what many Ukrainians expect to be a winter of attacks intended to plunge cities into cold and darkness when Ukraine is short of air defenses.

Ukraine's state power grid operator Ukrenergo said it had imposed emergency power cuts as a result of the attack in Kyiv and three surrounding regions — the first time such a measure had been imposed in the capital since the spring.

Russian attacks last winter, which brought record-low temperatures, ravaged power and heating systems, ‌forcing Ukrainians to adapt ‌to dire circumstances.

CAPITAL SHROUDED IN SMOKE

Some of the capital's trams and trolley buses ground to ‌a halt ⁠due to the ⁠outages as people headed home from work. Kyiv's water utility said pressure in the water system was reduced.

"Russia has escalated to massive strikes on energy infrastructure," Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said on X after the attacks overnight.

"Since summer, there's barely been a day without an attack on our energy infrastructure. But a combined strike of this scale hasn't happened since the end of last heating season."

Kyiv residents awoke on Wednesday to a city shrouded in fog from the smoke of attacks, which authorities said damaged a key power plant and other energy facilities around the capital.

Ukraine's air force said its air defenses had intercepted 254 of 285 Russian drones deployed until early evening.

It said 174 drones were high-flying ⁠and faster jet-propelled models, which are harder to intercept. Russian forces had also launched a ballistic ‌missile attack.

A child was among the seven dead across Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, ‌with critical infrastructure coming under attack in five regions. Further damage was reported in another five regions, he added.

Zelenskiy visited a military command post near ‌the town of Lyman near the eastern frontline and praised what he said were gains against Russian forces during a counteroffensive.

He ‌said Ukrainian forces had recaptured 176 sq. km. (29.3 sq. miles) of territory since the start of the operation.

Russia said its forces had struck power plants in the Kyiv region, an industrial complex in Odesa region, and port infrastructure in Ismail in the southwest.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said debris had been found at a Western embassy, but offered no further details. The overnight attack triggered a more than 12-hour air-raid alert.

Drone strikes continued in Kyiv into ‌the early evening.

Near-constant daytime sirens and explosions have become a fixture of daily life in Kyiv, where drone attacks have killed around a dozen people over the past week alone.

PM ⁠ORDERS POWER BACKUP CHECKS

Ukrainian Foreign Minister ⁠Andrii Sybiha described Wednesday's attack by Russia as a "deliberate" distraction from its grinding battlefield offensive in eastern Ukraine, which has slowed since last year.

"Moscow is increasing the pressure on Ukrainian civilians as winter approaches, trying once again to turn cold, darkness, and disruption of normal life into weapons," he said on X.

Forecasters say they expect freezing temperatures at night in Kyiv in the coming days.

Russia, which began its full-scale invasion in February 2022, denies targeting civilians although it has pounded cities and towns across Ukraine.

Koretskyi, the prime minister, said he had instructed local authorities to check the readiness of backup power systems at critical facilities and speed up installations.

Authorities in recent weeks and months have been building protective facilities and aiming to diversify energy generation before Russia's expected winter campaign.

However, Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said there was a critical shortage of urban shelters, describing the civil-defense system as having "completely failed".

DRONES CROSS INTO MOLDOVA

In Moldova, on Ukraine's western border, the defense ministry said three drones had crossed into its airspace over the course of the day.

NATO members Romania and Poland both scrambled military jets, the countries said, and flights at the Polish airports of Lublin and Rzeszow were suspended for a time.

Ukraine has also stepped up attacks on Russia, striking oil refineries and online retailers to undermine its war effort.

World

Pentagon Creates ‘Autowarcom’ to Expand AI and Drone Capabilities

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gives a State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026 in Quantico, Va. (Alex Wong/Pool Photo via AP)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gives a State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026 in Quantico, Va. (Alex Wong/Pool Photo via AP)
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Pentagon Creates ‘Autowarcom’ to Expand AI and Drone Capabilities

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gives a State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026 in Quantico, Va. (Alex Wong/Pool Photo via AP)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gives a State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026 in Quantico, Va. (Alex Wong/Pool Photo via AP)

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday announced the creation of a new military command that would be dedicated to building and providing autonomous and robotic capabilities across the US military.

The command, which Hegseth said would be called "Autonomous Warfare Command," highlights the rapidly changing nature of warfare and the need to make progress on systems like drones and the use of artificial intelligence.

Creating a new command is not common — the last one was US Space Command in 2019 — and the move reflects the Pentagon's push to shift from costly ‌conventional weapons platforms ‌to cheaper, AI-driven autonomous systems that have proved decisive in ‌recent ⁠conflicts.

Speaking in front ⁠of hundreds of junior officers and enlisted personnel at Quantico, Virginia, in a speech peppered with attacks on the media, Hegseth said the command would be led by a four-star officer.

"The pace of war is changing faster than the process to support it," Hegseth said in a speech called the "State of the Force," in which he announced other changes, including the creation of the office of religious affairs.

"Cheap compute, superintelligence, and ⁠advanced commercial manufacturing have enabled the proliferation of low-cost, high-precision strike," ‌Hegseth added.

The US military currently has 11 combatant ‌commands, which are responsible for different parts of the world and specific tasks.

EXPERTS WARN OF ‌AI RISKS

Experts have expressed fears over the potential for unchecked AI development and ‌technology rivalries that could further heighten risks across the global security environment.

Both China and the US — the two major drivers of cutting-edge AI development and its global adoption — have been at loggerheads over AI policies and industry practices. Security experts from both countries have called for ‌guardrails and consensus-building regarding AI in military systems, including nuclear weapons.

The United States has long relied on its vast military budget ⁠to field some ⁠of the world's most expensive weapons systems. But there is an increasing realization within the Pentagon that this is not sustainable.

"Today we need both quality and quantity," Hegseth said.

WAR IN UKRAINE ILLUSTRATES DRONE WARFARE

The technology of war has evolved rapidly in recent years, a shift starkly illustrated by Russia's war in Ukraine.

What began as a conflict dominated by tanks and artillery has increasingly become a drone war.

Outgunned in conventional armor and aircraft, Ukraine turned to inexpensive unmanned systems for reconnaissance and attack. Drones are estimated to account for about 70% of Russian casualties, enabling strikes to be carried out remotely and reducing the risk to pilots and aircrews.

The Pentagon has in recent years made some progress, including the creation of a task force — Joint Interagency Task Force 401 — that is focused on countering drones.

World

Iran Hangs 2 Men on Charges of Violence During Protests

People shop at Tajrish Bazaar in northern Tehran, Iran, 30 September 2026. Iran is facing an economic crisis as the conflict between the US and Iran continues. (EPA)
People shop at Tajrish Bazaar in northern Tehran, Iran, 30 September 2026. Iran is facing an economic crisis as the conflict between the US and Iran continues. (EPA)
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Iran Hangs 2 Men on Charges of Violence During Protests

People shop at Tajrish Bazaar in northern Tehran, Iran, 30 September 2026. Iran is facing an economic crisis as the conflict between the US and Iran continues. (EPA)
People shop at Tajrish Bazaar in northern Tehran, Iran, 30 September 2026. Iran is facing an economic crisis as the conflict between the US and Iran continues. (EPA)

Iran executed two men Wednesday over what it said was their role in violence during nationwide anti-government protests in January, state media reported.

IRNA, citing the judiciary, said the men took part in unrest in the northeastern city of Mashhad that left four security officers dead.

The judiciary said the men confessed to the violence, including setting fires and damaging public property. It also said one confessed to stabbing a member of Iran's paramilitary force.

Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the sentences before they were carried out Wednesday morning.

The unrest began Dec. 28 amid anger over Iran’s collapsing currency and worsening economy and quickly spread across the country. Iranian authorities responded with a deadly crackdown.

Dozens of Iranians have since been executed in connection with the protests, according to state media in Iran.

Executions aren't uncommon in Iran, where rights groups say the accused are often tried in secretive courts based on forced confessions extracted through torture.