Overview

• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz joined France’s Emmanuel Macron and Poland’s Donald Tusk in Chişinău for Moldova’s Independence Day, pledging support for the country’s security, sovereignty and EU path.
• President Maia Sandu warned of unprecedented Russian interference ahead of the 28 September parliamentary election, highlighting ongoing hybrid tactics and the presence of Russian troops in Transnistria.
• Russia launched a large overnight air campaign across Ukraine with waves of drones, hypersonic missiles and jets, causing deaths and widespread damage in Kyiv, where residential and public buildings were hit and a five‑story block collapsed.
• EU Council President António Costa said the EU delegation building in Kyiv was damaged in the attack, as Ukrainian officials reported additional strikes on energy infrastructure in multiple regions this week.
• President Volodymyr Zelensky said chief negotiators Andriy Yermak and Rustem Umerov will meet U.S. officials in New York on Friday to seek security guarantees, a session confirmed by U.S. interlocutor Steve Witkoff, while a new German poll showed 52% favor territorial concessions to secure peace and Berlin’s foreign minister voiced skepticism about near‑term talks with Moscow.