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. In parallel developments, Iran and Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company, Rosatom, signed a significant $25 billion agreement to construct four nuclear power plants in Iran. Rosatom confirmed a memorandum of understanding for building small nuclear power plants in Iran on Wednesday, though the specific number of plants was not detailed. These announcements come amidst ongoing regional instability, including a reported shortage of gasoline in Russia's Lipetsk region. Earlier today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin is deceiving President Trump, who Zelenskyy feels understands Putin is "playing games" with him. This statement followed a drone strike on the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region. Additionally, 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. Ukrainian naval drones also recently participated in NATO's REPMUS 2025 exercise as the "enemy" against allied nations, incorporating battlefield-inspired scenarios. President Zelenskyy reiterated Ukraine's stance that it will never recognize Russian-occupied territories as part of any peace deal. Further regional incidents included a downed Russian UAV exploding near the South Ukraine nuclear power plant, raising nuclear security concerns, and a fuel train derailment in Russia's Smolensk region. Poland had also urged its citizens to leave Belarus due to rising tensions.
