Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Russia is planning hybrid strikes with drones or rockets against European countries that support Ukraine, including Poland, as leaders from eight regional states gathered in western Ukraine for the inaugural Carpathian Eight summit. The meeting, hosted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Ivano- Frankivsk region, brought together Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary, with the European Union also participating.
Tusk issued the warning before departing for Ukraine, saying Moscow intends to target countries backing Kyiv. His remarks came amid growing alarm across Europe over what officials describe as a Russian campaign of sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation and drone incursions into NATO territory. In recent weeks, officials in Poland, Germany and Denmark have accused Russia of involvement in drone incursions, arson, surveillance of defense facilities and a plot to use a drone carrying explosives to attack an airport.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU needs a NATO-like mechanism to respond more effectively to hybrid attacks attributed to Russia, and to build consensus on how to react to incidents that fall below armed aggression but clearly threaten national security. The summit in the ski resort of Bukovel was intended to deepen cooperation on security, energy, logistics, cross-border economic ties and support for local communities. Zelenskyy described the gathering on Telegram as a «significant beginning» of a movement to strengthen ties among the participating countries and create another strong element of cooperation at the EU level.
The meeting took place as U.S.-mediated efforts to end Russia’s full-scale invasion have stalled, with territorial concessions in eastern Ukraine among the central sticking points. Ukraine is also seeking security guarantees from partners as part of any deal. The summit included both staunch supporters of Kyiv, such as Poland and Romania, and countries that have refused to provide direct military assistance, including Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at a meeting of a government commission on new weapons, dismissed Western claims about Russia’s aggressive plans as a pretext to justify higher defense spending. He again denied hostile intentions toward Europe but warned that Moscow would respond to any aggressive action by Western allies, including the seizure of Russian merchant vessels. «Let’s live in peace, otherwise we will be forced to respond in kind – it must be quite obvious to everyone,» Putin said. Last month he threatened retaliation for Western seizures of Russian commercial ships, calling them «piracy» and warning that any response would not necessarily occur in the waters where the vessels were detained.
Russia is believed to use a fleet of hundreds of ships to evade international sanctions imposed after its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. France and the United Kingdom have detained tankers suspected of belonging to Russia’s «shadow fleet» shipping oil in violation of sanctions, and the EU has sanctioned hundreds of such vessels. Russia has recently begun deploying warships to escort its commercial ships.
Separately, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it had summoned the British Chargé d’Affaires to protest the United Kingdom’s continued supply of drones and other weapons systems to Ukraine. The ministry said London’s «fiercely confrontational stance» was aimed at prolonging and escalating the conflict, and warned that any British military facilities in Ukraine used to strike Russian territory would be legitimate targets. Britain’s Foreign Office said the U.K. will remain committed to providing Ukraine with the equipment it needs to defend itself, calling the diplomatic reprimand an attempt to deflect attention from Russia’s invasion.
Ukraine received a 3.3 billion-euro tranche, roughly $3.8 billion, from an EU financial support package meant to strengthen its defense capabilities, including the purchase of missiles and drones, Zelenskyy said after a phone call with von der Leyen. The funding comes as Kyiv faces a projected budget deficit of about $27 billion this year. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was preparing for a meeting with von der Leyen at the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week focused on the country’s financial stability.
Overnight Russian strikes in multiple regions sparked fires and caused deaths and injuries. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said two people were killed and two others injured in the Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv. The attacks underscored the urgency of the summit’s agenda as the war approaches its fifth year and diplomatic efforts remain deadlocked.