Threads
Stories that unfold over weeks: where things stand, what has changed and what comes next.
Latest changes
Monday 21 September
Ukraine launches largest drone attack on Moscow, hitting oil refinery
Ukrainian forces launched their largest drone attack on the Moscow region, with approximately 450 drones targeting the capital and damaging a major oil refinery. The assault killed at least two people and injured around 20, prompting Russia to vow intensified strikes on Kyiv.
Ukrainian drones strike Bashneft refinery in Ufa, 1,600 km from front
Ukrainian drones struck the Bashneft-Novoil refinery in Ufa, Bashkortostan, roughly 1,600 km from the front line, on 21 September. The strike extends Kyiv's deep-strike campaign against Russian fuel infrastructure to one of the country's most distant oil-processing complexes.
Macron proposes energy-strike moratorium to Trump in New York talks
Macron said he and Trump discussed a possible moratorium on attacks against energy facilities in New York on 21 September, including a potential Black Sea component.
Sunday 20 September
Zelensky and Trump agree to New York meeting at UN General Assembly
Zelensky and Trump agreed on 20 September to meet at the UN General Assembly in New York, following a phone call and diplomatic visits by US envoys to both Kyiv and Moscow. The meeting opens a direct Ukraine track alongside parallel sanctions and troop-review pressures.
US Treasury and China's vice premier open preparatory talks ahead of Trump-Xi summit
US Treasury Secretary Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met in New York on 20 September to prepare agreements on AI guardrails, tariffs and critical minerals ahead of a Trump-Xi summit. The US-China trade truce expires 10 November.
Le Pen signals RN will vote against 2027 budget, withdrawing conditional support
Le Pen signalled on 20 September that RN will likely vote against the 2027 budget, after offering conditional support on 16 September. The Socialists also ruled out backing, leaving Lecornu's minority government dependent on fragmented centrist and conservative deputies.
Russian 138-drone barrage kills eight across Kyiv and Sumy
An overnight Russian attack with 138 drones killed eight people across Kyiv and Sumy oblasts on 20 September. The strike hit civilian areas as reciprocal infrastructure attacks render the energy truce void.
US-China bilateral talks set to include AI alongside trade and minerals
US Treasury Secretary Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng were set to open bilateral talks on AI, tariffs, and critical minerals ahead of a Trump-Xi summit.
US and Chinese negotiators open New York talks ahead of White House summit
US Treasury Secretary Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng opened talks in New York on 20 September on tariffs, AI, and critical minerals, establishing terms ahead of a White House meeting on 24 September.
China updates AI safety framework to cover agents and recursive self-improvement
China released the third iteration of its AI safety governance framework on 20 September, extending coverage to AI agents, cybersecurity risks from frontier models, and recursive self-improvement scenarios, while maintaining its regulator-coordinated pre-release testing regime.
Macron meets Carney on Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon as signal to Trump
Macron travelled to the French Atlantic archipelago of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon for talks with Carney on 20 September, explicitly framed as a signal to Trump after his social-media post depicting the islands under a US flag.
Ukraine debuts Pelican ballistic missile and Flamingo cruise missile in Moscow refinery strike
Ukraine confirmed first combat use of domestically produced Flamingo cruise missiles and Pelican short-range ballistic missiles in strikes on the Gazpromneft Moscow refinery at Kapotnya on 20 September, damaging primary distillation and isomerisation units.
Final MV results: AfD 38.1%, CDU drops out of state parliament below 5% threshold
Final results on 20 September gave AfD 38.1% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, while the CDU fell to 4.9%, below the 5% threshold and out of the state parliament for the first time. The Left finished first in Berlin.
Antitrust lawsuit filed alleging AI firms colluded to slow development
A lawsuit filed on 20 September alleges Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI and Google made an illegal agreement to slow the pace of AI development, feeding European concerns that foreign providers may coordinate to limit progress while EU regulation constrains domestic alternatives.
Iran's parliament speaker rejects Hormuz reopening until US meets terms
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf rejected reopening the Strait of Hormuz on 20 September, demanding Washington fulfill commitments made after the 28 February military attacks.
China warns of counter-measures against US Russia-Iran sanctions act
China's Commerce Ministry on 20 September called the newly signed US sanctions act a unilateral extension of US jurisdiction and signalled Beijing views itself as a target of the secondary tariffs on buyers of Russian energy, warning of possible counter-measures.
Saudi Arabia says it repelled Houthi missile and drone barrage on Riyadh and Yanbu
Saudi Arabia stated on 20 September that it intercepted a ballistic missile and drones targeting Riyadh and civilian infrastructure in Yanbu. Houthi forces claimed strikes on Aramco facilities and the capital, extending near-daily barrages since their Red Sea coast offensive.
China's rare-earth magnet exports to US drop 21% in August ahead of summit
Chinese customs data released on 20 September show rare-earth magnet exports to the US fell 21% in August to 512 tonnes.
US warns of rapid escalation risk after Houthi attacks on Saudi targets
Washington stated on 20 September that it fears a "rapid escalation" of hostilities following Houthi missile and drone attacks on Riyadh and Aramco-linked facilities in Yanbu. The warning came as Houthis consolidated control over Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline.
Egypt's el-Sisi presses CIA director on Gaza ceasefire second phase
Egyptian President el-Sisi told CIA Director John Ratcliffe on 20 September that implementing the second phase of the US Gaza ceasefire plan is essential, including consolidating the ceasefire and ensuring humanitarian access.
Frontex reports 35% drop in irregular EU border crossings through August 2026
Frontex reported on 20 September that irregular border crossings into the EU fell 35% in the first eight months of 2026 versus 2025, with about 10,700 detections in August, 38% fewer year-on-year.
AfD wins Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with 38.1% as CDU exits state parliament
Exit polls on 20 September showed the AfD taking 38.1% in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, while the CDU scored 4.9% and fell out of the state parliament for the first time. Chancellor Merz called the result a "disaster" but pledged to press ahead with planned reforms.
Ukraine warns of starvation in occupied Oleshky, seeks UN evacuation corridor
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced on 20 September that Kyiv will bring the humanitarian blockade of Russian-occupied Oleshky to the UN General Assembly, warning that remaining residents face starvation without food, gas, or power and seeking an evacuation corridor.
German state elections held in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Voters cast ballots in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on 20 September in state elections testing Chancellor Merz. In MV, AfD's expectation of first place has faded, though it is still a central contender against SPD premier Manuela Schwesig.
Iran threatens strikes on US bases if Washington resumes combat operations
Tehran warned that American military installations and regional allies will face retaliatory attacks if Washington resumes combat operations paused under a June ceasefire, raising the stakes around the ongoing US-Iran negotiating channel.
Kremlin warns Russia-Iran sanctions law undermines Ukraine diplomacy
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on 20 September that the Graham sanctions act "cannot have a positive effect" on prospects for a diplomatic settlement of the Ukraine conflict or on Russian-US relations, casting the law as an obstacle to peace efforts.
NATO jets shoot down armed drone over Lithuania
NATO fighter jets shot down a drone carrying explosives over Lithuania on 20 September, Reuters reported. The drone was believed to have originated from Russia, adding to a string of airspace incidents on NATO's eastern flank.
EU designates ChatGPT as very large online platform under DSA
Brussels designated ChatGPT as a very large online platform under the Digital Services Act on 20 September, the first AI chatbot subjected to tougher horizontal EU platform rules, with four months to comply with enhanced obligations.
Saudi warplanes strike Houthi-controlled areas in Taiz and Abs
Saudi warplanes struck telecommunications towers in Taiz province and the town of Abs on 20 September, killing one civilian, in the first reported Saudi strikes on Houthi-controlled territory since the group seized Yemen's Red Sea coast.
Lecornu outlines €54 billion 2027 budget plan, deferring pension decisions to parliament
French PM Sébastien Lecornu announced on 20 September a 2027 draft budget with €54 billion in consolidation, targeting a deficit of 5% against a projected 6.5%. The plan leaves pension and tax-break decisions to parliament, where RN holds pivotal votes.
Macron and Carney meet on Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon to advance associate EU membership
French President Macron and Canadian PM Carney held talks on Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon on 20 September on Canada's associate EU membership. CETA remains unratified by France a decade after signature, a constraint on new EU integration formats.
Australia's Albanese urges global AI governance cooperation
Australian PM Anthony Albanese used a 20 September speech to call for global coordination on AI governance, comparing AI risk to climate change and nuclear risk and warning that an unchecked race threatens humanity.
Meloni proposes classroom caps for foreign students and school burqa ban
Meloni announced proposals on 20 September to cap the number of foreign students per classroom and ban burqas and hijabs in schools, presenting the measures at her party's youth-wing event.
Moldova denounces Russian drone intrusion north of Chișinău
Moldova's Foreign Ministry on 20 September denounced an overnight Russian drone intrusion north of Chișinău. The episode adds security weight to Chisinau's EU accession case, a day after it rejected Moscow's plan for Transdniestrian polling stations.
Ukrainian drone swarm hits Moscow refinery, kills two
Ukraine launched 249 drones against the Moscow region overnight on 20 September, regional governor Vorobyov said, killing two and injuring six.
Saudi Arabia and Egypt jointly call for freedom of navigation through Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb
The Saudi crown prince and Egyptian president called on 20 September for protecting maritime navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb, framing both chokepoints as under simultaneous wartime strain.
Iran outlines conditions for nuclear and sanctions talks via Qatar and Pakistan mediators
Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei said on 20 September that Tehran communicated negotiating terms to Washington through Qatar and Pakistan mediators, demanding an end to hostilities, release of frozen assets, and lifting of maritime sanctions.
US holds direct talks with Houthis in Oman
US officials met Houthi representatives in Muscat over the weekend of 20 September, Reuters reported.
Russia prepares 300,000-troop draft as Poland warns of European transit sabotage
European security officials report Moscow is building digital infrastructure to call up 300,000 men by year-end. Poland separately warns of Russian sabotage targeting European transport routes.
Le Pen and Bardella issue joint RN statement criticising Russian interference, questioning Ukraine aid levels
Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella issued a joint National Rally statement on 20 September criticising Russian attempts to influence French politics while asserting France can no longer sustain Ukraine aid at previous levels. The dual message sharpens RN's 2027 positioning.