Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on September 26th, 2025, that NATO countries are "afraid" of Russia and have responded weakly to Kremlin drone and jet incursions, urging them to "shoot down everything." Zelenskyy made these remarks in an interview with Barak Ravid on The Axios Show. In related military developments, analysis suggests that Russia's stockpiles of Buk missiles may be severely depleted due to nightly wave attacks against refineries and other targets. This explanation is offered by Maxim Kalashnikov, who cited conversations with air defense personnel who have transitioned from operating Buk systems to infantry roles due to their current inoperability. Earlier on September 26th, 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had also invited U.S. Senator J.D. Vance to visit Ukraine. Zelenskyy remarked that Vance "can be a good friend of Ukraine." This invitation followed reports of Russian strategic aviation activity, including at least three Tu-95MS aircraft in the air and potential launches of ballistic weapons from Kursk. Additionally, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on September 26th, 2025, that U.S. President Donald Trump informed him "the floodgates" of American weapons to Ukraine are open, with a $2 billion package approved and an additional $10 billion pending. This comes as Iran and Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company, Rosatom, signed a significant $25 billion agreement to construct four nuclear power plants in Iran. President Zelenskyy also reiterated his belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin is deceiving President Trump, who Zelenskyy feels understands Putin is "playing games" with him. This statement coincided with a drone strike on the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region. Furthermore, credible evidence of systematic mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russia, potentially amounting to war crimes, was reported by the UK Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office.
