Ukraine and Russia Trade Overnight Drone Strikes, Officials Say

Smoke rises above the city after a Russian strike on a residential area in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 10 June 2026, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. (EPA)
Smoke rises above the city after a Russian strike on a residential area in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 10 June 2026, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. (EPA)
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Ukraine and Russia Trade Overnight Drone Strikes, Officials Say

Smoke rises above the city after a Russian strike on a residential area in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 10 June 2026, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. (EPA)
Smoke rises above the city after a Russian strike on a residential area in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 10 June 2026, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. (EPA)

Ukraine and Russia exchanged overnight drone strikes into early Friday, with Ukraine targeting a major oil processing and petrochemical region while Russia attacked railway stations and electrical substations. 

Ukraine's strikes hit an apartment block in Russia's central Tatarstan injuring three, and Russia's attack in Ukraine's Sumy region killed a railway worker, officials said. 

The strikes follow large air attacks by Russia on Ukraine in recent weeks, while Kyiv has ‌intensified long-range ‌drone strikes on Russian oil facilities, leading to shortages of ‌fuel in ⁠Crimea and elsewhere. 

Industrial ⁠facilities in Tatarstan were targeted, regional head Rustam Minnikhanov said on the Telegram messaging app. Regional city Nizhnekamsk will cancel public events on Friday amid the threat of drone attacks, its mayor, Radmir Belyayev, also said. 

The country marks Russia Day on June 12 with a national holiday. 

Belyayev did not mention damage caused by drones. Several major industrial facilities are located in the area, including a petrochemical ⁠plant of Sibur's Nizhnekamskneftekhim and Tatneft's oil refinery TANECO. 

Togliatti, a ‌city on the Volga River some 800 ‌km (500 miles) southeast of Moscow and home to Russia's biggest automaker Avtovaz, has also ‌come under drone attack, the regional governor said. 

Separately, two people were killed ‌and another 10 injured in a Ukraine attack on Russia's border region of Bryansk, Acting Regional Governor Yegor Kovalchuk said late on Thursday. 

Russia downed 231 Ukrainian drones overnight, news agencies reported, citing Russia's defense ministry. 

Both Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians. 

RAILWAY INFRASTRUCTURE ‌IN UKRAINE UNDER ATTACK 

Russian drones attacked railway stations, electrical signaling posts and substations in Ukraine's northern Sumy region, killing ⁠a railway worker, ⁠the chief executive of Ukraine's state railway Ukrzaliznytsia said on Friday. 

CEO Oleksandr Pertsovskyi also said another railway worker was injured. The attack followed an overnight one on Thursday when a railway worker was killed and four injured in an attack on the town of Konotop, also in the Sumy region. 

Ukraine's air force said Russia had launched 117 drones since 6 p.m. local time (1500 GMT) on Thursday, with air defense units downing or neutralizing 102 of them. 

Three people were injured in a drone attack in the southern city of Mykolaiv overnight, local authorities said on Telegram, reporting damage to 14 private buildings. Another drone attack early on Friday injured a man, they said. 

Reuters could not independently confirm the reports. 



Macron Says Talks with Trump on Red Sea, Ukraine ‘Constructive’

French President Emmanuel Macron (R) walks with Jerome Bonnafont (L), Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations and France’s Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (C) as they arrive at Trump Tower in New York City on September 21, 2026, ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump. (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron (R) walks with Jerome Bonnafont (L), Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations and France’s Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (C) as they arrive at Trump Tower in New York City on September 21, 2026, ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump. (AFP)
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Macron Says Talks with Trump on Red Sea, Ukraine ‘Constructive’

French President Emmanuel Macron (R) walks with Jerome Bonnafont (L), Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations and France’s Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (C) as they arrive at Trump Tower in New York City on September 21, 2026, ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump. (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron (R) walks with Jerome Bonnafont (L), Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations and France’s Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (C) as they arrive at Trump Tower in New York City on September 21, 2026, ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump. (AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday he had positive talks with his US counterpart Donald Trump on the conflicts in Ukraine and in the Red Sea. 

"The other issue we talked about was the situation in the Red Sea... It's important for global prices. Then we had a long discussion about Ukraine and Russia," said Macron after their New York meeting. 

"We had a very good discussion. It was very constructive." 

Going into the high-stakes meeting ahead of the United Nations' high-level week, a French official briefed that Macron was prepared to face Trump with "total candor." 

On Ukraine, Macron said he has pressed Trump on the issue of supplying defensive weapons systems to Ukraine. 

They discussed "the need to help our Ukrainian friends faster and more strongly in terms of (missile) interceptors, because that is... a defensive measure," Macron said. 

The French president said Trump was "very amenable and we were able to go into detail on these two conflicts, which are obviously important for peace in the world and for our security." 

The Red Sea has become a key oil shipping route with the Strait of Hormuz blocked, but the takeover of the Strait of Bab al-Mandab by the Iran-backed Houthi militants has complicated shipping operations there. 

The European Union's naval mission in the Red Sea would need more than 10 warships, its foreign policy chief said on Monday, adding ‌that for ‌now there weren’t ‌that ⁠many in the ⁠area.

"When Aspides (the EU military operation) was put in place, then the indication was that ⁠it needs at ‌least ‌10 ships. The situation, ‌I think, is ‌even more grave right now," she told reporters on the sidelines ‌of the annual gathering of world leaders ⁠at ⁠the United Nations.

Kallas last week sent a letter to member states asking them to contribute more naval and air assets in the region, diplomats said.

Macron traveled to New York from Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a small French territory off Canada's Atlantic coast, where he met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. 

Carney has been embroiled in a war of words with Trump over a failed effort between the US and Canada to strike a trade deal, resulting in tit-for-tat tariffs. 

The French president also plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. 


Washington Mobilizes Allies in the Arctic

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to members of the media during a signing ceremony on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York City, on September 21, 2026. (AFP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to members of the media during a signing ceremony on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York City, on September 21, 2026. (AFP)
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Washington Mobilizes Allies in the Arctic

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to members of the media during a signing ceremony on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York City, on September 21, 2026. (AFP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to members of the media during a signing ceremony on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York City, on September 21, 2026. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday stressed the need for investment in the Arctic while meeting with his counterparts from seven countries in the region, on the eve of signing a security agreement on Greenland.

"Allies agreed that Arctic security requires continued investment to safeguard this vital region and deter strategic competitors," State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said in a readout of the meeting.

"Discussions focused on taking greater responsibility for Arctic security by developing sovereign military and economic capabilities, ensuring investment security, and funding resilient critical infrastructure that ensures reliable access and supports our shared leadership in the Arctic."

The meeting convened top diplomats from Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, at a New York hotel on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Greenland, Denmark and the United States are due to sign an agreement regarding the Arctic at the UN on Tuesday, the office of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Monday evening.

The agreement was announced Friday by US President Donald Trump, and has not yet been made publicly available.

But Frederiksen said it recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Denmark, and the right of self-determination for Greenland's people.

Washington said the agreement paves the way to strengthen US military presence in Greenland while ensuring that China and Russia will not be able to establish bases or carry out sensitive investments there without consent.

Monday's discussions also touched on cooperation to develop a fleet of icebreakers between the US, Canada and Finland.

In October, the United States announced the purchase of 11 icebreakers from Finland for the US Coast Guard to add to its fleet of three aging ships.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said recently that Europe needs icebreakers to strengthen its presence in the Arctic, as global warming draws the interest of major powers to the region.

Vast natural resources are becoming increasingly accessible in the Arctic as ice melts and new maritime routes open up due to climate change.

China, Russia and the United States are reinforcing their presence in the strategic Arctic as a result.


UK Joins Call for Limiting UN Security Council Vetoes

11 September 2026, US, New York: A wide view of the UN Security Council chamber during a UN Security Council meeting marking the 25th anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks and examining the evolving global terrorist threat and international efforts to counter terrorism. (dpa)
11 September 2026, US, New York: A wide view of the UN Security Council chamber during a UN Security Council meeting marking the 25th anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks and examining the evolving global terrorist threat and international efforts to counter terrorism. (dpa)
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UK Joins Call for Limiting UN Security Council Vetoes

11 September 2026, US, New York: A wide view of the UN Security Council chamber during a UN Security Council meeting marking the 25th anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks and examining the evolving global terrorist threat and international efforts to counter terrorism. (dpa)
11 September 2026, US, New York: A wide view of the UN Security Council chamber during a UN Security Council meeting marking the 25th anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks and examining the evolving global terrorist threat and international efforts to counter terrorism. (dpa)

The United Kingdom has signed on to an initiative urging UN Security Council permanent members to withhold their vetoes on matters concerning mass atrocities, such as genocide, countries leading the push said Monday.

The initiative, first proposed by Mexico and France in 2015, now has a total of 128 countries behind it, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Mexican counterpart Roberto Velasco said in a joint statement.

It is now just one country shy of reaching a two-thirds threshold of UN member states.

The Security Council has been paralyzed on many issues in recent years amid deep divisions between the five veto-wielding permanent members: France, UK, Russia, China, and the United States.

"By supporting this political declaration, states are demonstrating their commitment to ensuring that the Security Council can fully exercise its primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security," said Barrot and Velasco.

In May, a diplomatic source told AFP that France was hoping to reach the two-thirds majority before this year's UN General Assembly, which kicks off this week.

Even if adopted with a two-thirds majority, the resolution would be non-binding.

Officials nonetheless hope to make it more politically difficult for a permanent member to use its veto in cases of such dire emergencies.