Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, stated in an interview with Axios that he is "ready" to leave office once the war ends. The president declared that he has no intention of governing the country in times of peace and committed to asking the parliament to hold elections if a ceasefire is reached, as reported by the mentioned media outlet.
On the other hand, the Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR) reported that they destroyed two Russian tactical transport planes Antonov An-26 on Wednesday night in a special operation in the Crimea peninsula, while the Air Force reported the downing of a Su-34 combat plane in the Zaporizhia front during the early hours.
Additionally, the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, met with Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, where Zelenskiy thanked him for the support to Ukraine "from the very beginning, as well as all efforts aimed at achieving real peace."
During the meeting, the Ukrainian president accused Russia of continuing to "reject peace initiatives" and doing "everything possible to prolong the war," while the Spanish leader emphasized "the importance of preserving unity between Europe and the United States and continuing to work within the framework of the Volunteer Coalition to bring peace closer."
Prior to this meeting, Zelenskiy had met with King Felipe VI, whom he thanked for the Spanish support in humanitarian, military, and economic aspects.
Drone Attack Causes Fire at Factory in Krasnodar
A Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at a fertilizer factory, according to Ukrainian sources, in the Russian region of Krasnodar, leading to the evacuation of around 140 workers, as reported by the authorities.
"On the night of September 25, fragments of a drone fell near one of the main companies in the municipality (of Belorechensk). Approximately 140 employees were evacuated to a protective structure," a statement from the regional emergency services published on Telegram stated.
According to official information, the falling drone fragments caused a fire on a 50-square-meter area, which was quickly extinguished.
Ukrainian Telegram channels indicated that the targeted company is a plant of EuroChem, one of the largest fertilizer producers in Russia.
Russia Supports Trump's Call to Ban Biological Weapons
Russia supports the call by U.S. President Donald Trump to globally and comprehensively ban biological weapons, stated Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, as reported by Reuters.
Trump stated in a speech delivered on Tuesday at the United Nations that he was "calling on all nations to join us in ending the development of biological weapons once and for all" and proposed the use of artificial intelligence to verify compliance.
Peskov stated that Russia welcomes Trump's "very important call," describing it as a brilliant initiative. "Naturally, the Russian side is ready to participate in that renunciation process, a general renunciation of biological weapons, and, of course, it would be good to formalize it in some way, again at the international level," he added.
Kremlin Assumes Trump Remains Committed to Peace Despite Change in Discourse
The Kremlin assumes that U.S. President Donald Trump remains committed to peace in Ukraine, despite the sudden change in his discourse earlier this week. The U.S. president stated on Tuesday that he believed Kyiv could regain all territories occupied by Russia -- which controls around a fifth of the country -- and that it should act now, as Moscow faces economic problems.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on Thursday that Moscow assumes the Trump Administration maintained the political will to find a solution to the war and that Russia was willing to participate in peace negotiations.
Zelenskiy is "Ready" to Leave Office Once the War Ends
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, stated in an interview with Axios that he is "ready" to leave office once the war ends. The president declared that he has no intention of governing the country in times of peace and committed to asking the parliament to hold elections if a ceasefire is reached, as reported by the mentioned media outlet.
"Arms Race" in Germany Due to Drone Threat
German Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, referred to an "arms race" on Thursday regarding the threat posed by drones and defense against these unmanned aircraft, also stating that Germany is a target of a "hybrid threat."
"We are in an arms race between the threat of drones and defense against drones, and that is why we will invest more in this arms race (...) according to the principle of detecting, repelling, intercepting. This is the criterion for addressing the drone threat," he stated in the Bundestag, the Lower House of the German Parliament, during the general budget debate for 2026, as reported by Efe.
He added that the current threat situation is "abstract and elevated" and, in individual cases, also "concrete," such as last night when unmanned aerial vehicles flew over critical infrastructures in Denmark again. "We are the target of a hybrid threat. We are the target of sabotage and espionage, and that is why we are arming ourselves against these hybrid threats," he affirmed.
Russia Shoots Down 55 Ukrainian Drones
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that its anti-aircraft defenses shot down 55 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over the country's territory, annexed Crimea, and the waters of the Black and Azov Seas.
"From 23:00 to 07:00 Moscow time (GMT+3), the anti-aircraft defense systems intercepted and destroyed 45 fixed-wing drones over the Rostov region, the Krasnodar territory, the Republic of Crimea, and the waters of the Black and Azov Seas," the military report stated.
In total, during the past night, 55 Ukrainian drones were shot down, added Defense without specifying the number of destroyed aircraft in the attacked regions.
Ukraine Destroys Three Russian Planes in One Night
The Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR) destroyed two Russian Antonov An-26 tactical transport planes on Wednesday night in a special operation on the occupied Crimea peninsula, as reported by GUR itself, while the Ukrainian Air Force reported the downing of a Su-34 combat plane in the Zaporizhia front during the early hours.
GUR also destroyed a radar located on the coast of the Black Sea peninsula in Crimea.
A video distributed by GUR, apparently recorded with a camera onboard the drones that destroyed the two An-26 planes and the radar, shows the destruction of these three targets.
According to the Air Force, the downed plane on the Zaporizhia front (a region in southeastern Ukraine partially occupied by Russia) was carrying out aerial bombing attacks in that area.
The Ukrainian Air Force also reported the downing during the past night of 150 out of the 176 long-range drones launched by Russia against its territory.
Vance States Trump is "Growing Impatient" with Russia
U.S. Vice President, JD Vance, warned on Wednesday that Donald Trump is "growing impatient" with Moscow, a day after Washington hardened its stance towards Russia following the diplomatic efforts' deadlock to end the war in Ukraine.
The U.S. president made a surprising turn at the UN on Tuesday, suggesting that Ukraine could not only regain all the territory it lost militarily to Russia but "go even further."
"The president is growing increasingly impatient with the Russians because he feels they are not contributing enough to end the war," Vance told reporters during a trip to North Carolina. "If the Russians refuse to negotiate in good faith, I think it will be very, very bad for their country," Vance added, as reported by Afp.
In a meeting held on Wednesday morning in New York, U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, seemed to clash with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, by calling for "an end to the killings" in Ukraine and demanding that Moscow "take significant steps towards a lasting solution," according to the State Department.