Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Kyiv, September 17, 2025
Wednesday’s Coverage: Russia Officials — We May Have to Cut Oil Output
UPDATE 0727 GMT:
At least three civilians have been killed and 22 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.
Air defenses intercepted 48 of 75 drones launched by Russia overnight. Six locations were struck by 26 UAVs.
In the Kharkiv region in the northeast, a 73-year-old man was murdered and a 70-year-old woman wounded.
In the neighboring Donetsk region, two people were killed and 11 injured.
In the Poltava region in south-central Ukraine, the Russian attacked railway infrastructure and cut power temporarily in some areas. One person was injured.
Casualties were also recorded in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
UPDATE 0627 GMT:
The US and Ukraine are each investing $75 million to launch Kyiv’s reconstruction investment fund, based on American special access to mineral sites and other projects.
The International Development Finance Corporation will oversee Washington’s contribution. Kyiv will split its $75 million share between this year’s budget and next year’s, said Economy Minister Oleksii Sobolev.
Companies can begin submission of projects for financing from late November.
UPDATE 0617 GMT:
Dmitry Kozak has resigned as the Kremlin’s Deputy Chief of Staff, posts the Russian news outlet RBC.
Kozak is a long-time associate of Vladimir Putin, but he has opposed the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He advised Putin of dire consequences and fierce Ukrainian resistance.
Earlier this year, the advisor presented Putin with a plan aimed at ending the invasion and initiating domestic reforms.
He was unsuccessful. Many of his responsibilities have been given to Sergey Kiriyenko, deputy head of the Presidential administration, who now oversees Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine.
RBC said Kozak is considering a career in business.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: President Volodymyr Zelensky has outlined the meaning of “security guarantees” for Ukraine to ensure lasting protection from Russia’s invasion.
Zelensky posted on Wednesday night that there are four elements to the international support.
First, the Ukrainian military must be bolstered in the sky, at sea, and on the ground: “Our partners now understand the scale of these needs, but the important thing is that we are on the same page, and they are ready to deliver.”
On Tuesday the first Trump Administration supplies under a new program, selling arms to NATO members who then transfer them to Ukraine, were confirmed.
Up to two $500 million shipments have been approved under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, which aims to supply Kyiv with as much as $10 billion worth of weapons. Zelensky said he expects a commitment of $3.5 billion in weapons and materiel by October.
Officials said the packages include air defense systems and HIMARS rocket launchers.
Second, the “strength and size of the Ukrainian army itself” must be confirmed. Zelensky said financial support from partners is “crucial” to ensure the “significant funding”. He did not refer to issues with mobilization and conscription, given Ukraine’s shortage of manpower on the frontline.
Third, “Article 5–like guarantees” must be implemented. Under NATO’s Article 5, each member commits itself to the defense of another who is attacked.
Fourth, the sanctions on Russia, in case of its renewed aggression, msut be agreed. Ukraine’s reconstruction, including the use of frozen Russian assets, must be arranged.
Zelensky noted that the cost of facing the invasion is around $120 billion per year, with Ukraine covering half.
On Wednesday, Germany shifted its position to endorse the use of the Russian assets, supporting Ukraine’s day-to-day public services and governance.
In December 2022, the G7 froze approximately $300 billion in Russian Central Bank assets, with around 2/3rds held by Euroclear in Belgium. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last week that the European Union is exploring a reparations loan to Kyiv, financed by the assets’ cash balance.
Zelensky: Ukraine Defeats Russia in Sumy, Still Face 3 Offensives
The President said Russia had pursued offensive operations in four areas this year: the Sumy region in northeast Ukraine; Novopavlivka and Zaporizhzhia in the south; and Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region in the east.
“The Sumy operation has already failed – Russia suffered heavy losses, especially in manpower, and has redeployed forces to other fronts,” Zelensky explained.
While noting Moscow’s ongoing assaults in the other areas, Zelensky said:
It has lost so much manpower that it cannot deliver strong additional actions in the above mentioned directions. I believe that, as of now, they lack the strength for large-scale offensives.
The President said of Russia’s strikes on civilian targets, including energy infrastructure and railway facilities, “Their goal is to destabilize logistics and create social pressure.”
Ukraine had responded with its own strikes inside Russia, “which created a big social uproar”: “But our operations disrupted logistics, and civilians remain alive, while they simply deliberately kill people.”
