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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that “serious momentum” is expected in peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow in the coming days.

“I’m not revealing any details for now, but stay tuned to the news – in the coming days, you will witness serious momentum in the peace negotiations,” he said.

According to the minister, diplomacy should play an increasingly active role in efforts to end the conflict. Sybiha stressed that it would be impossible to make progress in the negotiations without U.S. involvement, adding that Washington maintains regular contacts with Kyiv, RBC-Ukraine reported.

On September 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia and Ukraine must first reach an agreement with each other to resolve the conflict. He also noted that there is still a chance for a settlement.

In addition, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has held phone calls in recent days with representatives of the U.S. administration, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Meanwhile, CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow. Western media linked his visit to efforts to revive the peace talks over Ukraine.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Golan has given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife, Sara Netanyahu, 24 hours to apologize and retract remarks that he said falsely implied he had prior knowledge of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

The dispute began after Sara Netanyahu said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14 on Monday that Golan had been in the area near the Gaza border during the first hours of the attack.

‘When you are a senior-ranking military officer like this and claim that you were fighting on Oct. 7, you had been there since the early morning, dressed and ready,’ she said, addressing Golan.

She added that Golan had been in the area ‘very early,’ while others, ‘including the prime minister,’ did not know what was happening.

Golan, a reserve major general in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), served as deputy chief of staff from 2014 to 2017 and later served as deputy economy minister from 2021 to 2022.

In a legal warning, Golan demanded that Sara Netanyahu retract her remarks and issue an apology within 24 hours. He threatened to file a defamation lawsuit if she failed to comply.

‘An apology within 24 hours and compensation that will be donated to the Nova festival survivors or a lawsuit for 2.5 million shekels ($826,000),’ Golan wrote on X.

He described the remarks as a ‘false conspiracy’ and accused Sara Netanyahu of attempting ‘to rewrite October 7, turning those who went out to save lives into traitors and those who abandoned Israel’s security into victims.’

‘We will not allow them to erase the truth and the heroism of the fighters, the volunteers, and the civilians who stepped up when the government collapsed,’ he added.

Golan has also pledged that if his party joins Israel’s next government, he would establish a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 attacks.

Such a commission, he said, would ‘expose the truth, and find those responsible for the failure.’

The US Army has signed its first contract for the production of a high-energy laser weapon system designed to destroy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The agreement was reached with AeroVironment (AV) as part of the development program for the High Energy Laser (E-HEL) system, a powerful continuous-wave combat laser.

US Army Vice Chief of Staff General Christopher LaNeve said the directed-energy program would provide military units with a new capability to counter drone threats.

The Army stated that the E-HEL system could destroy UAVs at a lower cost compared with traditional missile-based defenses. Powered by electricity, the system generates a high-energy laser beam, allowing operators to engage targets with a significantly lower cost per shot.

Developed using a modular open-systems-approach design consisting of 11 major interfaces, E-HEL is not locked into a single platform or vehicle. The system is designed for operational flexibility, capable of deployment from fixed bases, semi-fixed tactical sites, and mobile combat vehicles, ensuring broad applicability across the operational spectrum. This approach will enable onboarding of cutting-edge capabilities and continuous technology upgrades as they mature to address emerging Army requirements.

The newly established defense partnership between Trkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is already showing signs of evolving beyond its original three-member format, raising questions over what kind of security architecture could emerge across the Muslim world, and whether Azerbaijan could eventually become part of it.

Pakistan has said that six or seven Muslim-majority countries have expressed interest in joining the Mecca Defense Agreement, signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Trkiye on August 7. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has similarly indicated that the pact, officially referred to as the Mecca Defense Alliance, is open to expansion.

Speaking after the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee under the agreement in Istanbul, Fidan said Trkiye was working on a roadmap for additional members. He also stressed that the alliance “does not nullify or replace our country’s obligations arising from NATO, as well as from other alliances and agreements,” while arguing that the mechanism could bring “greater stability and reduce uncertainty” to the region.

Bangladesh has publicly expressed interest, while Trkiye has also suggested that Egypt could potentially become part of the emerging structure.

The alliance’s potential expansion raises a particularly important question for Azerbaijan. Baku already maintains close defense ties with all three founding members, while its domestic defense industry has developed rapidly in recent years, particularly in unmanned systems, ammunition, electronic warfare and military modernization.

Could that make Azerbaijan more than simply another potential member, and instead a contributor to the alliance’s emerging defense-industrial architecture?

Speaking to AzerNEWS, former military attaché and retired General Ycel Karauz believes Azerbaijan is among the strongest candidates for closer integration, although he sees full membership as a longer-term possibility.

Asked how likely Azerbaijan is to join the Mecca Defense Alliance, Karauz said:

“I consider Azerbaijan to be one of the strongest candidates among potential members. However, in the short term, a close partnership, defense industry cooperation, or a phased integration model before full membership seems more realistic. Azerbaijan’s developing defense relations with both Trkiye, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia create a favorable environment for this. In particular, Turkish-Azerbaijani defense industry cooperation is already expanding to UAVs, electronic warfare, artificial intelligence, communications, and other high-tech areas. If Azerbaijan joins this alliance, its role should not be limited to being only an arms buyer. Baku could become one of the production and technology centers of the new defense industry supply chain. Such a model could be formed: Trkiye’s engineering and systems integration + Saudi Arabia’s financial and investment capabilities + Pakistan’s military production and aviation experience + Azerbaijan’s UAVs, ammunition, electronic systems, modernization, and Caucasus-Central Asia connectivity. This could create new markets, joint production opportunities, and technology transfer for Azerbaijan’s rapidly developing domestic defense industry.”

Yet Karauz cautioned that Baku’s decision would not be determined by industrial considerations alone.

“However, the key issue in Baku’s decision will not only be the defense industry, but also geopolitical balance. Azerbaijan, while maintaining its strategic alliance with Trkiye, must also take into account its room for maneuver in its relations with Russia, Iran, Israel, and the countries of Central Asia. Therefore, in my assessment, the likelihood of Azerbaijan’s integration into the defense industry and military cooperation mechanisms of the alliance is high, and full collective defense membership in the short term is moderate.”

Can the alliance expand without losing cohesion?

Karauz argues that the answer is not necessarily to impose identical responsibilities on every member.

“One of the greatest challenges for the Mecca Alliance will be expansion. The accession of Bangladesh, Egypt and other Muslim countries will increase the political and strategic weight of the alliance. However, as the number of members increases, differences in military standards, threat perceptions and national interests will also increase. Therefore, the most correct model is not to give all members the same military function, but to create a phased military integration within the framework of a single collective defense. The Trkiye-Saudi Arabia-Pakistan triad should remain the main core of the alliance. This triad can play a leading role in: command and control, intelligence exchange, air and missile defense, joint military exercises, logistics and the formation of defense industry standards. New members should be gradually included in the system based on their levels of military readiness and technical compatibility. The most important issue is to determine in advance and precisely under what conditions the collective defense mechanism will be activated. The permanent secretariat planned for Riyadh could play a major role in determining whether the alliance remains primarily political or develops into a functional military structure.”

Karauz also believes its institutional role should extend beyond diplomacy.

“The permanent secretariat to be established in Riyadh is of great importance in this regard. If this structure functions not only as a diplomatic coordination body, but also as a political, military and defense industry coordination center, the enlargement could strengthen the alliance rather than weaken it. This could be particularly important as prospective members bring different capabilities and strategic priorities to the table. A larger alliance would have greater political weight, but without common standards and mechanisms for coordination, expansion could equally make collective decision-making more difficult.

Is this an alternative to NATO?

Karauz believes such a characterization would be premature.

“An important distinction needs to be made here. It is more correct to evaluate the Mecca Pact not as a project of separation from the West, but as a project of strategic autonomy and sharing of responsibility for regional security. Trkiye is a NATO member, and Ankara clearly states that the Mecca Agreement does not change the obligations arising from NATO and other international agreements. Therefore, from Trkiye’s perspective, the issue is not a choice of ‘NATO or Mecca Alliance?’ The goal is to continue relations with NATO, but also to create an additional regional security mechanism on the Middle East-South Asia line. Saudi Arabia’s military infrastructure is still largely dependent on US and Western-made systems. Pakistan, on the other hand, is implementing a more diversified model that combines China, Trkiye, the West and its own national defense industry. Therefore, the creation of an independent military system that would completely replace the US security system in the short term does not seem realistic. However, in a 10-15 year perspective, a major change may occur in the defense industry. If the member states begin to jointly produce UAVs, missiles, air defense systems, electronic warfare means, ammunition, and artificial intelligence-based military technologies, the dependence on the West for weapons and technology will gradually decrease.”

He concluded, saying it would be inaccurate to label the Mecca Defense Alliance as an ‘Islamic NATO’ or an ‘anti-US military bloc’ at this time:

“A more accurate characterization is that it represents a multilayered regional security architecture, combining Trkiye’s military and technological strength, Pakistan’s military experience and nuclear deterrence, and Saudi Arabia’s financial resources. This alliance could potentially expand to include countries like Azerbaijan, Egypt, Bangladesh, and others in the future. Incorporating Azerbaijan into this framework would be a strategic move, broadening the alliance’s reach from the Middle East and South Asia to the Caucasus and Central Asia. If the Mecca Alliance succeeds, its primary outcome will not be the removal of the US and the West from the region. Instead, it will enhance the defense capabilities of regional states, increase their strategic autonomy, and improve their ability to negotiate and maneuver with major powers.”

However, not all experts are convinced that the Mecca Defense Alliance has reached a stage where its potential expansion or Azerbaijan’s participation can be assessed with confidence.

Military expert Ramil Mammadli told AzerNEWS that the alliance remains at an early stage and that its members still lack a sufficiently unified strategic agenda:

‘First of all, I would like to note that since the Mecca Defense Alliance is still a nascent and incomplete format, it is too early to voice optimistic assessments about this alliance. Each of these countries has its own interests in regional issues and needs a common threat in order to act from a single interest. At the moment, there is no such situation, and in this regard, I do not think that Azerbaijani arms manufacturers or the defense industry complex will integrate into the Mecca Defense Alliance as a single structure. Of course, Azerbaijan’s defense industry already cooperates with Trkiye and Pakistan, while certain negotiations are underway with Saudi Arabia. If the alliance develops into a genuine unified structure in the future, Azerbaijan, as a defense-industry country, could cooperate with it in specific sectors. But for now, it is too early to determine in what form Azerbaijan will participate in this process.’

Mammadli also believes that the eventual structure of the alliance will depend heavily on which countries decide to join:

‘The format of the alliance’s defense obligations will largely depend on the participation of other Muslim countries. How the Gulf states react, whether they join the alliance, and even what position Iran eventually takes could fundamentally change the process. Trkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan currently have different capabilities and interests, while Trkiye has also made clear that it does not intend to withdraw from NATO. Therefore, the future form of this alliance remains uncertain. Mutual defense obligations will become clearer only after we see which other Muslim countries join the process. What form this process will take in the future is among the possibilities. I note once again that mutual defense obligations are only and only related to the participation of other Muslim countries in the process. Of course, we will witness this after a certain period of time.”

Another interesting element of his assessment concerns the reaction or lack thereof, from major global powers:

“The possibilities indicate that so far the US is not an obstacle to this process, which means that it also has certain interests. That is, it will support defense issues and other issues. Also, other major states that are members of NATO do not see any problems in this process. It is interesting that Russia and Iran are not taking any steps to hinder this process. They are simply following these developments in order to obtain information. I believe that this process is aimed at neutralizing Israel at some stage. These are, of course, my personal observations. The opinions expressed by Hakan Fidan at the last meeting of the Foreign Ministers and the harsh statements made towards Israel give reason to say this. Let us take into account that both Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Trkiye have very bad relations with Israel and do not accept Israel as a world state at all. In other words, they do not accept it as a normal, civilized world state and have very tense relations. From this point of view, if other Arab countries are to join this alliance, they must participate in the anti-Israel campaign or the anti-Netanyahu campaign. This is one of the main reasons.”

Mammadli further argued that the emergence of a stronger collective defense mechanism among Muslim-majority countries could challenge existing geopolitical structures:

“Of course, fundamentally, the West does not want Islamic countries, especially those with strong foundations and resources located in close proximity, to unite, develop, and be in a single, unified defense format. But it is not in a position to prevent it at this time. Because the West itself is currently in a state of severe confrontation with Russia. I believe that this alliance, this unity in a military format of the Eastern countries, that is, the Islamic, Muslim Eastern countries, is the need of the hour. And the West can take advantage of America’s being in a state of severe confrontation with Russia and, taking as a basis the ideas voiced by Israel against Muslim countries, against the Muslim region, against Muslim countries, to represent themselves on a single platform, a military defense platform. In other words, I believe that the West does not intend to take steps to confront this Mecca Defense Alliance on the basis of the current situation. Because if this pressure, such steps are taken, then those countries, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and even Trkiye, may break away from the West, and as a result, those countries may deepen their relations with Russia and China. This may lead to the formation of the next anti-American, anti-Western coalition in the region after Iran.”

Azerbaijan has called for greater international support for mine action, arguing that demining should be treated not only as a humanitarian responsibility but also as an essential component of peacebuilding and the long-term normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Addressing the second day of the 4th International Mine Action Conference in Baku on Thursday, Elchin Amirbayov, Representative of the President of Azerbaijan on special assignments, said peace could not be considered complete while landmines continued to threaten lives, obstruct the return of internally displaced persons and hinder economic recovery.

‘The shooting has stopped. But the mines have not,’ Amirbayov said.

He stressed that the physical consequences of war continue to affect the prospects for sustainable peace.

‘Peace cannot be considered complete while the physical consequences of war continue to threaten lives, block movement, limit economic activity, slow down return of IDPs and stand in the way of normalization of inter-state relations,’ Amirbayov said.

According to him, humanitarian demining has therefore become ‘much more than a humanitarian task’ and should increasingly be viewed as a peacebuilding effort.

‘You cannot build peace on unsafe ground,’ he said, noting that the UN Peacebuilding Commission had also recognized mine action as an enabler of peacebuilding, reconciliation and recovery.

Amirbayov recalled the August 8, 2025 Washington process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, when the text of the peace agreement was initialled and the two countries’ leaders signed a joint declaration outlining a vision for relations beyond their decades-long conflict.

He said that since the Washington meeting, Azerbaijan and Armenia had experienced de facto peace, with no military escalation between the two countries, while government and civil-society dialogue, trade, economic interaction and connectivity initiatives had continued.

‘We hope that very soon the remaining obstacle will be removed to enable the parties to sign the peace agreement and to codify peace,’ Amirbayov said.

However, he argued that political agreements alone were insufficient to make peace tangible for communities.

‘Peace has to be made visible on the ground,’ he said, pointing to landmines as one of the major obstacles to this process in Azerbaijan.

Since the end of the 2020 war, 437 people in Azerbaijan have been killed or injured by landmines, according to Amirbayov. He said each new casualty not only represents a humanitarian tragedy but also affects public confidence in the normalization process.

‘Every mine explosion today has consequences far beyond the immediate victim. It hampers the atmosphere in which peace is being built,’ he said.

Amirbayov also highlighted the scale of the contamination, saying more than 13 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory had been affected by mines and unexploded ordnance, while 75 percent of mine-contaminated territory remained affected by the threat.

The issue has become particularly significant as Azerbaijan continues its large-scale reconstruction and Great Return process in the territories previously affected by the conflict.

Former internally displaced persons are returning, while residential areas, roads, schools, hospitals and economic infrastructure are being reconstructed.

‘You cannot rebuild a community before you can safely clear the ground beneath it,’ Amirbayov said.

Against this backdrop, he called for a stronger and more predictable international role in Azerbaijan’s mine-action efforts.

According to Amirbayov, approximately 95 percent of financing for mine action in Azerbaijan currently comes from the country’s own state resources, while only around 5 percent comes from international sources.

‘We believe that this imbalance can and needs to change,’ he said.

Amirbayov proposed the creation of a long-term international funding mechanism for Azerbaijan’s mine action, emphasizing the need for predictable, multi-year financing rather than relying primarily on emergency contributions and individual projects.

Such funding, he said, would allow Azerbaijan to plan operations, recruit and train personnel, invest in equipment and accelerate the clearance of contaminated areas.

‘We need to finance the solution, not simply manage the problem,’ Amirbayov said.

He also called for stronger international cooperation on mine-action technologies, including artificial intelligence, drones, satellite imagery, advanced surveying, mechanical demining and data technologies.

‘Azerbaijan has the ambition to become a regional centre of excellence in mine action and is open to such cooperation,’ he said.

Amirbayov further proposed making mine action part of confidence-building efforts in the South Caucasus, arguing that humanitarian issues can create opportunities for practical cooperation even when political questions remain sensitive.

He described mine clearance as the opposite of the purpose of mines, which he said are designed to stop movement, prevent people from returning, keep land unproductive and preserve fear.

‘Demining does exactly the opposite. It opens roads, reconnects communities, restores livelihoods and enables return. It also creates confidence in the future,’ Amirbayov said.

He urged the international community to view each cleared area as part of the infrastructure of peace.

‘Perhaps we should begin to think of every mine clearance not simply as a humanitarian operation, but as a small part of peace infrastructure,’ he said.

Concluding his remarks, Amirbayov said Azerbaijan and Armenia had a ‘unique opportunity to turn a page’ and build a South Caucasus based on peace, connectivity, economic cooperation and good-neighbourly relations.

‘If we want peace to be sustainable, durable and irreversible, we must remove the remnants of war both from the ground and from existing political and legal framework,’ he said.

‘Let us make peace something people can walk on, live on, build on – and pass on to their children.’

The venue for the match between the national teams of Azerbaijan and Lithuania, scheduled for October 4, has been changed.

According to the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA), the match was initially scheduled to take place in Ganja after receiving the necessary approval from UEFA.

Following further discussions between the parties, as well as an overall assessment of the technical and logistical arrangements for the match, it was decided to move the game to Baku. The venue change has also been agreed with UEFA.

AFFA stressed that the decision is not related to the readiness of Ganja or the city’s stadium to host the match.

The organisation added that holding national team matches outside Baku, in different cities and regions across the country, will remain an important part of its plans.

Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley are set to share the screen again, nearly a decade after The Vampire Diaries came to an end.

The actors, who became television favorites as Elena Gilbert and Stefan Salvatore in the hit supernatural drama, are reuniting for Hulu’s upcoming series You Deserve to Know. The project is an adaptation of Aggie Blum Thompson’s 2025 novel of the same name.

This time, however, Dobrev and Wesley will leave Mystic Falls behind. They will portray Gwen and Scott, respectively, in the new mystery drama. The two are also set to serve as executive producers on the series.

You Deserve to Know centers on three couples living in a suburban neighborhood whose seemingly close relationships begin to unravel after a murder. Secrets emerge, and suspicion falls on those who appear to know one another best.

The reunion marks a major change of pace for the former Vampire Diaries co-stars. Instead of supernatural romance, their new project will explore secrets, relationships and a murder mystery.

The series is being written by Brian Tanen, with Alex Cooper’s Unwell Productions and Kapital Entertainment among the production companies involved. Dobrev and Wesley are currently the only announced cast members.

For fans of The Vampire Diaries, the reunion carries plenty of nostalgia. Dobrev and Wesley appeared together throughout the series’ run, with their characters’ relationship becoming one of the show’s most memorable storylines.

Wesley has previously acknowledged that the new project will have a different dynamic from The Vampire Diaries. He said the pair are not trying to recreate the relationship between Stefan and Elena, instead approaching their new characters as something entirely separate.

The original series ended in 2017 after eight seasons, but its cast continues to attract attention from longtime viewers. Dobrev and Wesley’s return to the screen together now gives those fans a chance to see the actors in a completely different story.

The issue of the Russian 102nd Military Base in Armenia was not discussed during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bishkek, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.

“There were no discussions about the military base. We have never raised this issue during this period. It is not the case that we consider the presence of the 102nd Military Base in Armenia a vital necessity,” Pashinyan noted during a briefing with journalists.

According to him, Armenia would not object if Russia decided to withdraw the base from the country.

“If Russia decides to withdraw the base from Armenia, we will not object. If they express a desire to remain, we are also ready to discuss that. But we have never raised this issue,” Pashinyan added.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in turn, said that Russia would leave Armenia “as early as tomorrow” if Yerevan decides that the military infrastructure is no longer needed.

“We are not going to impose anything on anyone. If the Armenian people want there to be some kind of Russian military presence nearby, we will stay, work and cooperate,” Putin emphasized at a press conference in Bishkek.

The 102nd Russian Military Base has been stationed in Gyumri, northern Armenia, since 1995.

United States President Donald Trump, addressing recent media reports, praised on Thursday the possibility of Syria serving as an alternative transit route to the Strait of Hormuz.

“This is GREAT! Syria is pitching itself as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account and shared a report by the Washington Post on Syria’s bid to become a bypass passage for regional energy and trade routes.

Furthermore, the news outlet noted in the report that trucks have been transporting Iraqi oil to Syria since April, but pointed out that the plan still faces risks since the proposed pipeline route would pass through territory controlled by Iran-backed militias.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has warned the United Kingdom that Israel will take retaliatory measures if London takes action against the country.

“If the United Kingdom takes action against the State of Israel, Israel will respond to the United Kingdom. The era when actions could be taken against Israel without fear of a response is over. We are preparing. If they make a mistake, there will be a response,” Sa’ar noted.

The warning comes after UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said that Britain would introduce a comprehensive package of measures against Israel in the coming weeks over its plans to expand settlements in the West Bank.

“We will act, and I will present a comprehensive set of measures in the coming weeks,” Miliband told lawmakers.

Earlier, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that his government is considering measures to ban trade in goods produced by Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

A source with knowledge of the matter told The Times of Israel last week that Sa’ar warned Miliband that Israel would respond to British sanctions with punitive measures of its own.

Those could include the expulsion of British officials from the International Gaza Support Center, as well as more extreme steps, the source said.