Ukraine war briefing: Sanctions must continue, EU’s top diplomat stresses, as Russian attacks kill five

By the Editorial Team · Wednesday, September 23, 2026

The EU’s top diplomat urged member states to maintain and expand sanctions against Russia amid ongoing military attacks in Ukraine that have caused multiple civilian deaths. Continued negotiations on the sanctions extension are critical as the conflict escalates, raising concerns about humanitarian impacts, especially with winter approaching and energy infrastructure under repeated attack.

The European Union’s top diplomat has called on member states to sustain sanctions against Russia amid ongoing military attacks in Ukraine that have resulted in multiple civilian casualties. Speaking in New York following a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers, Kaja Kallas emphasized that sanctions remain a fundamental component of the European response to Russia’s war, urging swift agreement on an extension package. “We need to have this stability,” Kallas said at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, noting that a new round of sanctions is also in development.

Negotiations to renew and expand the sanctions regime are continuing, with some EU countries seeking to remove certain individuals from the blacklist. Talks had failed to finalize a deal on Monday, including the potential lifting of restrictions on Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga condemned moves to ease sanctions on those figures as “unacceptable” and cautioned that such actions would convey the wrong message to Moscow. The EU is working to extend sanctions on nearly 3,000 individuals and entities implicated in the conflict, with a deadline set for late Tuesday.

On the ground in Ukraine, Russian forces sustained attacks across multiple regions along the approximately 1,200-kilometer frontline. Regional officials reported at least five fatalities on Monday. In the Kharkiv region, a drone strike on the town of Lozova resulted in one death and three injuries, while a drone strike in the Dnipropetrovsk region killed a car driver in Nikopol. In Donetsk, shelling damaged an apartment building in Kramatorsk, killing one person, with another death reported in a nearby village. Additionally, a sustained assault in a village in the Mykolaiv region claimed the life of a three-year-old child. These reports have yet to be independently verified. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces also bombarded residential and commercial areas in Zaporizhzhia overnight, resulting in injuries to five people.

In parallel diplomatic developments, former U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to discuss a temporary energy ceasefire with Zelenskyy during their meeting on the sidelines of the UN assembly. The discussions come amid sharp rises in global diesel prices attributed to the ongoing conflicts in Iran and Ukraine. Zelenskyy’s forces intensified attacks on Russian energy infrastructure over the weekend, while Trump warned of a worldwide energy shortage worsened by the war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia’s recent parliamentary elections saw the ruling United Russia party secure a commanding majority, winning approximately 355 of the 450 seats in the State Duma. Officials noted that the new parliament will include 49 deputies who have participated in the war against Ukraine, further consolidating President Vladimir Putin’s political control.

Concerns are mounting over the humanitarian impact of escalating attacks on energy and infrastructure from both sides, particularly with winter approaching. The United Nations’ Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine cautioned that the targeting of critical infrastructure risks repeating the severe civilian hardships experienced last winter, when harsh temperatures of up to minus 20 degrees Celsius combined with extensive power outages left millions without heating for prolonged periods.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.