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The US president has given Moscow several deadlines to take steps to end the conflict but not imposed any sanctions or penalties
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Donald Trump has said that his patience with Vladimir Putin is “running out fast”, days after Russian drones breached Polish airspace in an act of provocation.
Speaking to Fox News, the US president said: “It’s sort of running out and running out fast.“
Trump has given Putin several deadlines to take steps to end the three-year conflict, but so far has not imposed sanctions or other penalties on Moscow. The President met with his Russian counterpart for peace talks in Alaska last month which failed to produce an agreement.
His comments come after Poland‘s prime minister Donald Tusk on Friday rejected Trump’s claim that Russian drones breaching Polish airspace might have been “a mistake”.
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.
Donald Trump has said that his patience with Vladimir Putin is “running out fast”, days after Russian drones breached Polish airspace in an act of provocation.
Speaking to Fox News, the US president said: “It’s sort of running out and running out fast.“
Trump has given Putin several deadlines to take steps to end the three-year conflict, but so far has not imposed sanctions or other penalties on Moscow.
Denmark plans to buy European-made air defence systems for 58 billion Danish crowns ($9.11 billion), its largest arms purchase ever, the country’s defence minister said on Friday, citing a challenging security situation.
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen in February ordered the military to “buy buy buy” equipment in preparation for potential future Russian aggression in Europe.
Denmark plans to procure eight systems, including the long-range SAMP/T platform produced by Eurosam, a consortium of MBDA France, MBDA Italy and Thales, as well as medium-range systems manufactured by Norway, Germany or France.
“There is no doubt that the security situation is challenged,” defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen told reporters on Friday.
“We have seen how Russia has violated Polish airspace with several drones… It is a reminder to all of us about the importance of strengthening our combat power,” he added.
There can be no mistake with such a large-scale attack on Poland, a Polish official said in response to US president Donald Trump’s suggestion that Wednesday’ Russian drone incursion might have been accidental.
“I think this is a message that should reach President Trump today: there’s no question of a mistake – this was a deliberate Russian attack,” deputy defence minister Cezary Tomczyk told local TV broadcaster Polsat News.
Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who visits Kyiv on Friday, also responded to Trump’s words. “On the night that 19 Russian drones crossed into Poland, 400 (drones) plus 40 missiles crossed into Ukraine. These were not mistakes,” he said in a video posted on X.
At Poland’s request, the UN Security Council will meet in New York on Friday. The meeting will begin at 3pm local time (8pm UK time), Polish foreign affairs ministry 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.”
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