United States and United Kingdom: "We will defend every inch of NATO territory."
Last week, attacks by Ukrainian Armed Forces on Russian territory resulted in 24 deaths and 121 injuries, including three minors, Rodion Miroshnik , the Russian Foreign Ministry's temporary ambassador, told TASS .
Among the injured were a 12-year-old girl in Rubizhne (LPR), a one-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl in Vasilyevka, Zaporizhia region.
Between September 15 and 21, Ukrainian strikes reportedly targeted schools, sanatoriums, and civilian areas in Crimea, Belgorod, and Zaporizhia, causing numerous injuries. According to Moscow, Kiev used approximately 3,100 different types of munitions in Russian regions during the same period.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on X that he discussed the issue of “Russia’s violations of the airspace of NATO member states, including on September 22 in Copenhagen” with the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva .
"We exchanged opinions," he wrote, "on the reasons. If there is no decisive response from allies—both states and institutions—to the provocations, Russia will continue to perpetrate such violations." During the press conference that concluded a few hours ago in Copenhagen, the police neither confirmed nor denied that the drones are Russian, simply reporting that they are at work.
Copenhagen and Oslo airports reopened overnight after being temporarily closed for security reasons following the sighting of several unidentified drones. At the Danish capital's airport, local sources reported the sighting of "two or three large drones." Dozens of flights were canceled or diverted. In Oslo, at least two drones were spotted near the runway. According to the Norwegian news agency NTB, the airport closure affected 12 flights. Copenhagen Police Deputy Director Jakob Hansen said that Danish and Norwegian authorities will work together to determine whether there is a link between the two incidents.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that he had discussed with U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg the purchase of weapons from the United States, a proposal Kiev has long advanced to Washington.
"I briefed him (Kellogg) on the situation at the front and the results of the counteroffensive operation near Dobropillia and Pokrovsk. We also touched on the topic of developing cooperation between Ukraine and the United States," Zelensky wrote in a post on X.
Vladimir Putin reiterated before the Russian Security Council that the country "is ready to respond to any strategic threat not with words, but with military and technological measures." A harsh speech, punctuated by accusations against the West, but also by an opening regarding the future of the New START treaty, the last agreement still in force that limits the nuclear arsenals of Russia and the United States.
"The situation of strategic stability continues to deteriorate," the president declared. "The West's destructive actions have undermined the foundations of cooperation among nuclear powers, seeking absolute superiority." The Kremlin leader, however, proposed maintaining, at least temporarily, the New START facility, which expires in February 2026. Moscow, he explained, would be willing to respect the limits set by the treaty—on the number of warheads and delivery systems—for another year, provided the United States does the same. The president assured that Russia "is not interested in uncontrolled escalation or an arms race," while asserting the solidity of the national nuclear deterrent.
New START, signed in 2010 and extended in 2021, is the last remaining pillar of the system of arms control agreements. Its expiration without renewal would create a regulatory vacuum that many analysts consider extremely dangerous. Already in the 1980s and 1990s, the breakdown of negotiations fueled a nuclear escalation, which was then contained only by new treaties. Brussels and Washington are closely watching the Kremlin's move: the offer of a unilateral extension could be interpreted as a sign of openness, but also as a tactical maneuver to buy time and maintain pressure on the United States.
"Russia is testing us to see how far it can go. It is also trying to sow fear within our societies to let us know that if we support Ukraine, this war will spread to other territories and expand. And that is why we must be very firm on this point," EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Kaja Kallas said at a press conference following the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
And again: "As the Polish Prime Minister said today: if planes violate airspace, every country has the right to defend itself and act accordingly. And this, I believe, is important: understanding that everyone has an obligation, towards their own citizens, to prevent this type of incursion from occurring."
"Excellent meeting with President Erdogan on the sidelines of the two-state solution conference at the UN General Assembly. Turkey is an important partner in supporting Ukraine, participating in the efforts of the Coalition of the Willing. We will continue to work together for a just and lasting peace," wrote European Council President Antonio Costa in X.
"We support all efforts to push Russia to accept a ceasefire and sit at the negotiating table. The main priority is to put pressure on Moscow to do so," European Council President Antonio Costa said, speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the high-level week at the UN. "We support US President Donald Trump's efforts, and he is right to be disappointed with Vladimir Putin. It is very disappointing that the Russian president is not making the same efforts as the US for the ceasefire and negotiations," he added.
"I believe Russia wants to test NATO and Europe's reactions," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated, commenting on the incursion of Russian drones into the skies of Estonia and Poland. He reiterated that such Russian tests had occurred in the past and were used to gauge NATO forces' reaction times. "I am convinced that Russia does not want to reach World War III because the forces at play would be disadvantageous to it. I do not believe it is in Russia's interest. These are political moves rather than military choices," Tajani explained in New York.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna read a statement on behalf of 50 countries and the EU condemning the incident in which three Russian fighter jets violated Estonian airspace last week. "This was a dangerous escalation and the fourth violation of Estonian airspace by Russia this year," the minister said. "We are here today because this incident concerns not only Estonia, but the entire international community." Tsahkna emphasized that it is "part of a broader pattern of Russian provocations against its neighbors." "Russia's reckless actions represent not only a violation of international law, but also a destabilizing escalation that brings the entire region closer to conflict than at any time in recent years," he said.
The United Nations International Commission of Inquiry has accused Russia of crimes against humanity for coordinated and organized attacks aimed at forcibly displacing the Ukrainian population from territories it has established or is expanding into.
"The terror instilled in the population has forced thousands to flee," Commission President Erik Mose told the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. According to the Commission's investigation, the drone strikes and deportations "reveal coordinated and organized efforts by Russian authorities to gain additional territory and consolidate control over the areas they already occupy in Ukraine."
The West's accusations of border encroachment against the Russian Air Force are "unfounded" and aimed at escalating tensions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated this, adding that "Russian air forces operate strictly in compliance with international regulations, including those relating to flights."
Three people were killed and 16 injured in a Ukrainian attack on targets in Crimea, according to the republic's governor, Sergei Aksionov .
"According to the latest information, three people were killed and sixteen were injured as a result of the drone strike near the town of Foros. I express my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims," Aksionov wrote on his Telegram channel.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has once again urged the United States to adopt tough sanctions against Russia. "I am grateful that many of Ukraine's proposals have been taken into account" for the 19th EU sanctions package, he wrote on Telegram. "Now we expect tough sanctions measures from the United States as well: Europe is doing its part," he emphasized. Zelensky signed new Ukrainian measures against Moscow today. He explained that the targets are "propagandists who help Russia," those "who do business in the occupied territories and fuel Russia's budget," and those "destabilizing Moldova in Moscow's interests."
Rai News 24
