NATO pledges stronger eastern defences after strikes near Polish border
Mark Rutte says Western support for Kyiv will continue as Poland increases security along its border with Ukraine.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has pledged additional support for Ukraine and stronger defences along the alliance’s eastern flank after reported Russian strikes near the Polish border.
Russian drones reportedly hit a train inside Ukraine and struck an area near a second border crossing on Sunday. The train incident was reported about two kilometres from Poland, but the available information does not establish the weapon used, the extent of damage, casualties or the operational impact.
Rutte said NATO’s 32 members would not be deterred from backing Kyiv. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the attacks were intended to frighten Western countries away from supporting Ukraine, an interpretation also reflected in statements from other Western officials.
Poland announced increased security along its border with Ukraine. Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz also said the army had recovered what was believed to be a Russian military drone from the Baltic Sea, although its identity has not been independently verified.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Russia could intensify attacks on Ukraine’s western border and sabotage operations inside Europe. Reports also emerged of Russian strikes on two cargo vessels in the Black Sea and casualties in Russia’s Belgorod region, based on agency reports and local authorities.
US President Donald Trump claimed Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacking energy infrastructure. Neither side has confirmed the claim. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a reciprocal halt to strikes on critical infrastructure could be a first step towards peace.
