Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,310

On Friday, September 26, 2018, the situation is as follows:

Fighting

• According to a Ukrainian intelligence source, Ukrainian naval drones struck Russian ports in Novorossiysk and Tuapse on Wednesday, causing the temporary suspension of Transneft’s oil terminals there.
• After 22 Russian drones were spotted close to the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant’s perimeter, a drone was downed and detonated about 800 meters (some 0. 5 miles), according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
• One of Russia’s largest nuclear plants, Kursk, was accused of being attacked by Ukraine, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.
• According to a local official, the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv and nearby districts are experiencing significant power losses as a result of a Russian attack that affected roughly 30 000 customers.

Regional security

• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz demanded that NATO use “all necessary military and non-military tools” to defend itself in response to repeated airspace violations by Russia.
• Donald Trump’s assertion that NATO member nations should shoot down Russian drones and aircraft if they enter their airspace has been supported by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
• Ionut Mosteanu, the head of Romania’s top defense council, reaffirmed that manned and unmanned aircraft must respond to provocations “firmly but proportionally” and that European nations must “reappoint a clear chain of command” in the event of airspace breaches.
• In response to the Russian-dominated Baltic nation’s growing military might as European nations compete to strengthen their defense capacities in the wake of Moscow’s war on Ukraine, German defense conglomerate Rheinmetall intends to construct a new ammunition factory in Latvia.

diplomacy and politics

• Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, stated on the Axios news site that he would be willing to step down from his position once the conflict with Russia is over.
• Trump, speaking from the White House on Thursday during a meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, claimed that NATO’s relationship with the US was the strongest it has ever been.
• Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, contacted Trump to discuss energy security in Central Europe, explaining to the US president that Russian gas and oil imports cannot guarantee Hungary’s energy supply.

Peace talks

• Moscow assumed the Trump administration still had the political will to end the conflict with Ukraine, according to Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, and that Russia was prepared to start peace negotiations.
• Trump abruptly changed his tone and said he believed Kyiv could regain all of its land, which Peskov made just days later.