Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X late on Tuesday that Russian airspace will effectively be closing due to a planned drone campaign. ^[1] White House envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with the UAE's national security adviser to discuss the next steps on Iran, according to Axios. ^[2] Witkoff met with Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed al Nahyan on the Italian island of Sardinia, where they brainstormed the subsequent actions amid the war on Iran and discussed other issues, one source told the website. ^[3] U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on September 2 that Kyiv and Washington are currently negotiating licenses for Ukraine to manufacture its own Patriot air defense systems. ^[4] Russia's deadly bombing of Kyiv and the surrounding region extended into the sixth straight night as Ukraine struggles with a shortage of US-made Patriot air defense missiles. ^[5] Zelenskyy said Ukraine won't threaten civilian aircraft despite the planned drone campaign. ^[6] Zelenskyy stated that there will be drones in Russia's skies on a scale that has to be taken into account in response to Moscow's escalating missile attacks. ^[7] The talks, which were not announced by the White House, took place amid Washington's attempts at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and its increasing economic sanctions on Iran. ^[8] Marco Rubio warned that ramping up production of Ukrainian-made Patriot systems, even with a license, requires multiple years to build necessary factories and will not solve the short-term air defense challenge. ^[9] Russian forces conducted a week-long assault on Kyiv, with jet-powered drones attacking the city for the 7th straight night on September 2-3. ^[10] U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined President Volodymyr Zelensky's plea to sell Ukraine 5% of its Patriot missiles, citing the need to protect American defense stockpiles first. ^[11] A source cited by TASS stated that US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are intensifying their mediation efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. ^[12]