The Ukrainian leader said that Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot stop his war machine “unless he is forced to fundamentally change his personal goals.”
US signals commitment to defending NATO territory after Russian drone incursion
Washington’s ambassador to the UN, Dorothy Shea, on Friday told the UN Security Council that the United States would “defend every inch of NATO territory,” as the Council discussed a Russian drone incursion into Poland earlier this week.
The incident has set off alarm bells among European leaders who have called the incident an intentional Russian escalation.
The 19 drones were shot down by NATO aircraftearly Wednesday. It is the first time since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that Russian military hardware has been destroyed on the territory of a NATO member state.
“These actions, now with the addition of violating the airspace of a US ally — intentionally or otherwise — show immense disrespect for good-faith US efforts to bring an end to this conflict,” Shea told the Council.
Russia has denied sending the drones into Poland and maintains it was attacking Ukraine at the time of the drone incursions.
“There were no targets marked on Polish territory,” Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said, adding that it would have been “physically impossible” for the drones used in the strikes to have reached Polish territory.
“We know that it was not a mistake,” Poland’s Secretary of State Marcin Bosacki told the Council. He showed photos of a downed drone, pointing out Russian lettering on parts of it.
Shea’s statement also lamented Russia’s increased strikes on Ukraine following a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska last month. Trump has signaled frustration with Russia as he tries to mediate an end to the war.
The US also signed a joint statement, read by Bosacki ahead of the Security Council meeting, on Friday that expressed concern about the drone incursion, accused Moscow of violating international law, while calling on Russia to stop “its war of aggression against Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy warns Putin wants to occupy all of Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to occupy all of Ukraine, as US mediation efforts have thus far failed.
At a press conference in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said, “Putin’s goal is to occupy all of Ukraine. And no matter what he tells anyone, it is clear that he has set the war machine in motion to such an extent that he simply cannot stop it unless he is forced to fundamentally change his personal goals.”
The Ukrainian leader also called on allies to urge China to use its influence with Russia to stop its offensive in Ukraine.
“China certainly has the ability to make the Russians stop killing. But the world has seen no effort by China to apply that to Russia,”
Zelenskyy said.
NATO launches operation ‘Eastern Sentry’ to protect eastern flank
NATO chief Mark Rutte said that the alliance will be launching a new operation “Eastern Sentry” to protect its eastern flank after Russian drones entered Polish airspace.
“Our assessment of the incidents on Wednesday is ongoing and whether or not Russia’s actions were deliberate, Russia violated NATO airspace,” Rutte said about the incident.
“Whether intentional or not, it is dangerous and unacceptable,” he added.
Rutte said that Russia’s attack on Polish airspace was the most significant violation of NATO airspace, though not the first. Similar violations have occurred in Estonia, Romania, Latvia, and Lithuania in the past.
Trump running out of patience with Putin
US President Donald Trump said that he was running out of patience with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
“It’s sort of running out and running out fast, but it does take two to tango,” Trump told Fox News when asked about Russia’s refusal to end the war.
He hinted that Russia might face tougher sanctions because of the war and suggested that Ukraine should compromise as well.
“It’s amazing. When Putin wants to do it, (President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy didn’t. When Zelenskyy wanted to do it, Putin didn’t. Now Zelenskyy wants to and Putin is a question mark. We’re going to have to come down very, very strong,” Trump added.
Kremlin accuses Europe of ‘hindering’ peace talks
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that peace talks between Russia and Ukraine were “on pause,” blaming Europe.
“Our negotiators have the opportunity to communicate through channels. But for now, it is probably more accurate to talk about a pause,” he said.
“The Russian side remains ready to pursue the path of peaceful dialogue. But the fact that the Europeans are hindering this is indeed true,” he added.
US President Donald Trump’s efforts for a deal to end the fighting have failed to materialze.
European leaders had gone to the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of Trump’s summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska, to push for security gurantees for Kyiv.
Ukraine also wants uropean troops to be deployed to the country as a peacekeeping force.
Meanwhile, Moscow maintained a series of hardline demands, including that Ukraine fully cedes the eastern Donbas region.
Germany summons Russian envoy over Poland airspace incursion
The German Foreign Ministry said it summoned the Russian ambassador in Berlin to protest the violation of Polish airspace with by Russian drones, two days after the incident.
The action was “dangerous” and “unacceptable,” the ministry said.
“NATO stands united to defend our alliance territory and our security,” the ministry wrote on social media platform X.
Germany joins other EU countries, including France and the Netherlands, in summonening Russian envoys over the incident.
On Wednesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he shared Warsaw’s assessment that “the Russian government’s claim that this was a coincidence or an oversight, so to speak, is not credible.”
NATO: No immediate military threat against allies from drills
The AFP news agency is reporting, citing an unnamed NATO official, that the alliance sees no military threat in Russia and Belarus’ joint military exercivse.
“We call on Russia and Belarus to act in a predictable and transparent manner in line with their international commitments,” the official was quoted as saying. “We do not see any immediate military threat against any NATO ally.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich are due to give a joint news conference at the alliance’s Brussels headquarters at 5 p.m. local time (15:00 GMT).
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/zelenskyy-warns-putin-wants-to-occupy-all-of-ukraine/live-73971717
