Ukraine, Russia Accuse Each Other of Lethal Attacks, Odesa Port Damaged

Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a residential area in downtown Odesa, Ukraine, 09 August 2026, amid the Russian invasion. EPA/IGOR MASLOV
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a residential area in downtown Odesa, Ukraine, 09 August 2026, amid the Russian invasion. EPA/IGOR MASLOV
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Ukraine, Russia Accuse Each Other of Lethal Attacks, Odesa Port Damaged

Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a residential area in downtown Odesa, Ukraine, 09 August 2026, amid the Russian invasion. EPA/IGOR MASLOV
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a residential area in downtown Odesa, Ukraine, 09 August 2026, amid the Russian invasion. EPA/IGOR MASLOV

Ukraine and Russia accused each other of lethal attacks on Sunday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Moscow was targeting global food security by striking Odesa's seaport. 

Three people were killed and 37 wounded in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, where a multi-storey apartment block was hit, while authorities in Russia's Belgorod said five were killed and 25 wounded by a Ukrainian drone attack. 

Zelenskiy said Odesa's seaport had been damaged by a strike. Local authorities said dozens of drones and missiles hit the southern seaside city, wounding ‌a dozen ‌people. 

"In this way, the Russians are at ‌war ⁠with the world's ⁠food security," Zelenskiy said. Odesa's seaports are the artery for Ukraine's vast agricultural exports. 

He said Russia also hit nine other Ukrainian regions on Sunday. 

Russia has been bombarding Odesa in an attempt to cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea. 

"Everyone who lives in Odesa knows that the most common target is around the port area," said ⁠67-year-old Ihor, a local resident whose apartment narrowly ‌escaped destruction. 

As Ukraine seeks to ‌disrupt Russia's revenues for waging war, it has hit Russian oil tankers ‌and other cargo vessels in the Black Sea, claiming another three ‌such strikes on Sunday. 

Both sides have launched a broader campaign against the other's logistics, with e-commerce warehouses on both sides and Ukraine's petrol stations coming under heavy attack during the summer months. 

Ukraine's state oil and ‌gas giant Naftogaz said attacks on its facilities had increased significantly over the last three days, including ⁠on oil ⁠extraction facilities overnight. 

Ukraine's energy ministry said Russia had attacked power facilities in the Odesa region, causing a "significant amount" of the port city's residents to lose electricity overnight. 

It said power had already been restored to 90,000 consumers. 

Russia's Defense Ministry said it hit fuel storage facilities "used in the interests" of the Ukrainian military in the ports of Odesa and nearby Chornomorsk. 

In the Vatican, Pope Leo on Sunday renewed his calls for an end to the 4-1/2-year war. 

"Tragic incidents are multiplying, causing an ever-growing number of civilian victims, including children," the pontiff said before worshippers gathered for Sunday's Angelus prayer. 



Sources: US to Open Two New Military Bases in Greenland

People take part in the Arctic Basic Training managed by the Arctic Command, in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland February 20, 2026. Ritzau Scanpix/Bo Amstrupvia REUTERS
People take part in the Arctic Basic Training managed by the Arctic Command, in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland February 20, 2026. Ritzau Scanpix/Bo Amstrupvia REUTERS
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Sources: US to Open Two New Military Bases in Greenland

People take part in the Arctic Basic Training managed by the Arctic Command, in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland February 20, 2026. Ritzau Scanpix/Bo Amstrupvia REUTERS
People take part in the Arctic Basic Training managed by the Arctic Command, in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland February 20, 2026. Ritzau Scanpix/Bo Amstrupvia REUTERS

The US plans to re-establish a Cold War-era military base in southern Greenland and set up another on the east coast, now used by the Danish dog sled patrol, under a deal to be signed with Denmark and Greenland on Tuesday, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The sites are Narsarsuaq, whose population has dwindled to a few dozen people since the US closed its Bluie West One military base in the 1950s, and Mestersvig, a military outpost used by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a Danish special forces unit, said two of the people.

Denmark, ⁠Greenland and the United ⁠States are expected to sign their new agreement at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City at 10:30 a.m. ET (1430 GMT) on Tuesday.

The text of the agreement has not been made public and the three people familiar with the deal, speaking on condition of anonymity, said its details will not be finalized until it is signed.

The ⁠governments of Denmark and Greenland did not immediately respond to a request by Reuters for comment.

A White House spokesperson declined to comment on the details of the agreement, repeating an earlier statement that its signing on Tuesday would "secure and defend the security of Greenland and the United States."

Denmark says the agreement puts Arctic security under the watch of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the military defense alliance, rather than leaving it solely to the US and Denmark.

The deal follows months of pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has long said he wants ⁠the US ⁠to control Greenland and has at times refused to rule out military or economic force to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory. The idea has been rejected by an overwhelming majority of Greenlanders, polling shows.

Trump's threats, which peaked in January, triggered a diplomatic crisis within NATO and pushed Denmark and Greenland into negotiations with Washington aimed at defusing the pressure.

During the Cold War, the US maintained 17 military installations and more than 10,000 personnel in Greenland. Today only Pituffik Space Base remains, with some 150 US military personnel.


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.