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Poland has moved 40,000 troops to border amid joint Russia-Belarus drills
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Poland‘s prime minister Donald Tusk has rejected Donald Trump’s claim that Russian drones breaching Polish airspace might have been “a mistake”.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the US President suggested the incursion could have been unintentional while adding: “I’m not happy about anything to do with the whole situation.”
But Mr Tusk responded on Friday, saying: “We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake. But it wasn’t. And we know it.”
Polish air defences and Nato aircraft sprung into action on Wednesday after 19 objects intruded Polish airspace including drones entering from Belarus. There have been no injury reports and Moscow has so far denied responsibility for the incident.
As European and Nato countries rally to Poland’s defence, the US has vowed that it will help defend Nato territory following the incursion.
The US would defend “every inch of Nato territory”, Washington’s ambassador to Nato Matthew Whitaker said.
Prince Harry has made a surprise visit to Kyiv to pledge his support for Ukrainian soldiers injured in the country’s war against Russia.
The Duke of Sussex was invited by the Ukrainian government as he said he aims to do “everything possible” to help the thousands of wounded military personnel, according to reports.
Alongside a team from his Invictus Games Foundation – which was founded by Harry in 2014 to enable injured veterans to take part in sporting events – the duke is set to outline new projects that will support the wounded in Kyiv in their rehabilitation. The initiatives are expected to later be rolled out across the country.
Prince Harry reports:
Russian and Belarus began a major joint military exercise on Nato’s doorstep on Friday that will involve drills in both countries and in the Baltic and Barents seas, the Russian defence ministry said.
The “Zapad-2025” exercise – a show of force by Russia and its close ally – is taking place at an exceptionally tense moment in the Russia-Ukraine war, two days after Poland, with support from its Nato allies, shot down suspected Russian drones over its airspace.
The Zapad (“West”) exercise was scheduled well before the drone incident, for which Russia denied responsibility.
“The objectives of the drills are to improve the skills of commanders and staffs, the level of co-operation and field training of regional and coalition groupings of troops,” the defence ministry said on Telegram.
France will deploy three Rafale fighter jets to help Poland protect its airspace after this week’s drone incursions into its airspace, French president Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday on X.
“The security of the European continent is our top priority. We will not give in to Russia’s increasing intimidation,” he said.
A French military official said the warplanes had already been deployed to Poland prior to Tuesday’s incursions.
The twin-engined jet is designed for various purposes including in-depth and anti-ship strikes, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, and nuclear deterrence missions.
Outgoing French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said France will summon the Russian ambassador on Friday over this week’s drone incursion into Poland’s airspace, which he told France Inter radio was “not an accident”.
France will deploy three Rafale fighter jets to help Poland protect its airspace after the drone incursions, French president Emmanuel Macron said late on Thursday.
The defence committee of Germany’s parliament has said the Nato alliance must down Russian drones which could threat its territory even if they are still in Ukrainian airspace.
Thomas Röwekamp, the committee’s chair, said Nato is capable of countering the “very serious challenges” posed by Russia.
“The best way to counter drones during a war is to destroy their production facilities and launch systems”, he said, adding that it is important “that Nato partners quickly equip Ukraine so that it can take measures against these targets on Russian soil”.
He added:”It should be possible, with the consent of the affected country, such as Ukraine, to down drones that threaten NATO territory, even when they are in their airspace.”
We earlier brought you the news that the UK has launched a new package of sanctions on Russia.
Here’s a little more detail on what the sanctions include.
Earlier, we brought you the news that Prince Harry is making a surprise trip to Kyiv today on the invitation of the Ukrainian government.
The prince is arriving with a team from his Invictus Games Foundation to detail his charity’s plans to help rehabilitate wounded soldiers, the Guardian newspaper reported.
It is the second visit Harry, the younger son of Britain’s King Charles, has made to Ukraine this year, after he visited a centre for wounded military personnel in Lviv in April.
He was invited to the capital by the Ukrainian government, he said, and received permission from the British government and his wife before travelling.
The trip comes at the end of Harry’s four-day visit to Britain from his home in California, where he met his father King Charles for the first time in 18 months.
Harry served for 10 years in the British Army before setting up the Invictus Games Foundation, a charity which runs an international sporting event for military personnel wounded in action.
Britain announced a new package of Russia-related sanctions on Friday, including 70 new specifications and 30 new designations, a government statement said.
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