Global Express | Sep 9, 2026: Putin and Trump Hold Call on Ukraine

1. Putin and Trump Hold Call on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone call on September 8 local time focused on resolving the war in Ukraine, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said. The call lasted about an hour and was "constructive and candid."

The two leaders exchanged views on the results of a recent U.S. delegation's visit to Russia and Ukraine, gave a positive assessment of the visit, and agreed to keep communicating through such channels. Putin pointed to measures the U.S. could take to help end the "special military operation" sooner, while Trump expressed a desire for a breakthrough on Ukraine during his term.

Putin stressed that Russia has no aggressive plans against Europe, calling the so-called "Russian threat" a pretext for Europe to boost aid to Ukraine and military spending. The two sides also agreed to continue work on humanitarian issues, including exchanges of detained and sentenced people. The call took place in a positive atmosphere, and both agreed to stay in touch.

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2. Jordan Says It Shot Down 18 Iranian Ballistic Missiles

Jordan's military said on September 9 that its air defense systems successfully shot down 18 Iranian ballistic missiles fired toward the kingdom, while two more landed in unpopulated areas without causing casualties. Jordan's armed forces remain at the highest level of alert.

Iranian media reported the same day that, in response to attacks on Iranian oil tankers, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck a U.S. military base in Jordan, saying the operation hit maintenance and preparation hangars, fighter jet deployment areas, and shelters for F-35, F-16 and F-15 aircraft, causing severe damage to enemy forces.

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3. IAEA Says North Korea Built New Yongbyon Uranium Enrichment Facility

North Korea has built a new uranium enrichment facility at its Yongbyon nuclear complex that could house up to 28 centrifuge cascades, and has started operating an expanded annex at its Kangson enrichment site, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said. The findings were based on satellite imagery and open-source material, including North Korean state media photographs.

The report said a new two-storey building at Yongbyon is the site's second uranium enrichment facility, identified by comparing state media photos of a June visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with satellite images taken during construction. Operations at Kangson appear to have begun in January, within an annex built in 2024.

The IAEA said the developments violate U.N. Security Council resolutions. Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement that the ongoing operation of the enrichment facilities and the reported expansion of weapons-grade nuclear material production were "a cause for serious concern." Pyongyang has repeatedly rejected the agency's authority.

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4. Vucic Dissolves Parliament, Sets Snap Election Date

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on September 9 local time that he had dissolved the National Assembly and set October 25 as the date for snap parliamentary elections. Prime Minister proposed the move on September 7, calling it the "strongest response" to public calls for early elections.

Under Serbia's constitution, the president may dissolve parliament on the government's recommendation and set the election date. On September 5, the Serbian Progressive Party's main board chose Vucic to lead its election list and serve as prime ministerial candidate; Vucic accepted and said he would step down as president to run. The current parliament was elected in December 2023.

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5. Brent Crude Tops $100 as Global Shares Fall

Brent crude, the international benchmark, topped $100 a barrel on Wednesday as fighting in the Middle East tightened global oil supply. As of 0930 GMT, Brent was up 2.5% at $100.39 a barrel, while benchmark U.S. crude gained 1.9% to $94.85.

The intensified Middle East conflict is constricting the flow of oil, and pricier crude has worsened worries over high inflation. Global shares were mostly lower in cautious trading: France's CAC 40 lost 1.1%, Germany's DAX declined 0.9%, and Britain's FTSE 100 shed 0.5%. S&P 500 futures were nearly unchanged, while Dow futures lost 0.2%.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.2%, South Korea's Kospi gained 1.4%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng dipped 0.2%, and the Shanghai Composite rose 0.3%. A key U.S. inflation report is due Friday, and the Federal Reserve meets next week.

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6. China's Consumer and Wholesale Inflation Rebound in August

China's consumer and wholesale inflation rebounded in August, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday. The producer price index rose 3.8% year on year, beating the 3.6% forecast and July's 3.5%, while consumer prices rose 0.8%, accelerating from July's 0.5%.

Core CPI, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, climbed 1% in August, edging up from 0.9% in July. The NBS chief statistician attributed the rebound to volatile global commodity prices, seasonal food price gains and rising high-tech demand. Economists noted that factory-gate inflation was concentrated in energy-related sectors while consumer goods prices kept falling, pointing to soft demand and overcapacity.

Analysts said both price measures could ease if Gulf energy flows normalize in coming months; the Iran war has sent oil prices surging. One institution this week lowered its 2026 China GDP growth forecast to 4.6% from 4.8%.

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7. UK Flights Disrupted After Air Traffic Control Glitch

A technical glitch in the UK's air traffic control system has led to more than 2,000 flights being cancelled, with delays continuing on Wednesday. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, 291 flights were cancelled Wednesday after 1,750 were axed Tuesday, hitting tens of thousands of passengers.

Air traffic control provider Nats blamed a technical glitch; its boss Martin Rolfe apologised and promised a full investigation. The foreign secretary called the outage "unacceptable," and the transport secretary summoned Rolfe to explain. It marks the third Nats technical failure in as many years, following outages in 2023 and 2025.

Travellers have been advised to keep checking with their airlines. Heathrow said passengers should only travel to the airport if they have a confirmed flight. The worst-hit airports included Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham. Ryanair and Wizz Air have called for an overhaul of Nats.

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8. Nepal Demands Climate Justice and Compensation After Deadly Floods

Nepal is demanding "climate justice" and $20 million in compensation after recent devastating floods that killed and displaced thousands. On August 26, part of a mountain glacier collapsed, sending torrents of water and mud into Nepal's Rasuwa and Nuwakot regions and China's Tibet region; more than 1,300 people are confirmed dead and over 5,000 remain missing.

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said, "We are paying the ultimate price for a global crisis we did not create." President Ramchandra Paudel appealed to the international community in a national address Monday to take concrete steps to ensure climate justice. Nepal's finance and environment ministries have sent a joint letter to the United Nations requesting $20 million in damages.

Nepal contributes less than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The U.N. says Nepal's glaciers have lost close to one-third of their ice volume in about three decades. Preliminary estimates put property, housing and infrastructure losses from the floods at about $2.56 billion.

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9. U.S. Agencies Say Chinese AI Firms Systematically Copied American Models

The FBI, the NSA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in an alert published Tuesday that top Chinese AI companies have systematically distilled (copied) cutting-edge American AI models since 2024, including Anthropic's Claude, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini and xAI's Grok.

The report said the distillation campaign came "likely with Chinese government awareness" but did not claim Chinese intelligence played a role. It named six Chinese AI developers: DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, Alibaba, MiniMax, StepFun and Z.AI.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Wednesday she had not seen the report, calling China's AI development the result of "high-level scientific and technological self-reliance," and said the U.S. should strengthen AI cooperation "rather than making groundless accusations." President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Xi Jinping on September 24.

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10. U.S. Bans Some Canadian Goods, Imposes New Tariffs

The White House announced on September 8 that President Donald Trump had signed a measure, under Section 338 of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, banning some Canadian alcoholic beverages, motorcycles and dairy products from the U.S. market and imposing new tariffs on more Canadian goods.

The announcement said that since the U.S. imposed 50% tariffs on some Canadian goods on July 20, Canada has maintained discriminatory practices and announced additional retaliatory measures. The U.S. will therefore ban imports of certain Canadian alcohol, dairy and motorcycles starting September 29, and will impose 50% tariffs on about 100 categories including animal fur, cheese, furniture, base metals and aluminum products starting September 15.

Canada's minister responsible for U.S. trade, Dominic LeBlanc, said on September 8 that the government was assessing the measures, with protecting workers, farmers, families and businesses as the top priority. Prime Minister Mark Carney said the same day that building domestic strength and expanding overseas partnerships is Canada's "Plan A".

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