Poland and Ukraine accuse Russia of escalation after train strike near border
A Kyiv–Warsaw passenger train was struck near the Polish border, prompting calls for stronger support for Ukraine and renewed concern in Warsaw about Russian drones.
Poland and Ukraine have accused Russia of escalating the conflict after a drone struck the locomotive of a Kyiv–Warsaw passenger train about two kilometres from the Polish border. Passengers were evacuated and no casualties were reported.
Ukraine’s rail operator said the strike occurred while a diplomatic train carrying former British prime minister Boris Johnson and security advisers from several European Union member states, as well as another train carrying former CIA director David Petraeus, was at nearby Yahodyn station. The operator did not establish how close the officials were to the train that was hit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow had deliberately targeted the locomotive. Ukrainian and Polish officials described the incident as an escalation and called for increased support for Ukraine.
Polish President Donald Tusk said the Russian Federation’s actions were increasingly approaching Poland’s border. Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said the incident should lead allies to double their support for Ukraine, while warning that jet-powered, long-range strike drones were faster and harder to intercept than earlier models.
The border crossings between Poland and Ukraine are an important route for Western military and humanitarian aid. Russian missiles and drones have previously entered Polish territory, including the 2022 incident at Przewodów in which two people were killed.
Separately, US President Donald Trump urged Ukraine to reduce its long-range attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, asserting that the strikes were contributing to higher diesel prices in the United States. Kyiv says Russia’s oil industry funds and supports Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
