Prime Minister Donald Tusk addresses the Polish Parliament in Warsaw, September 10, 2025 (Radek Pietruszka/ EPA)

Thursday’s Coverage: Zelensky — “Strong Countermeasures Are Vital” After Russian Drone Incursion Into Poland

UPDATE 0939 GMT:

The Russian Independent Fuel Union, an association of gas station owners, says more than 10 Russian areas are experiencing fuel shortages.

They include the Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Rostov, and Far Eastern regions and Russian-occupied Crimea.

Union representatives said many gas stations have not received refinery deliveries for several weeks, forcing some to shut down.

They did not acknowledge the role in the shortages of Ukraine’s drone strikes on oil refineries. Around 17% of Russian output was affected in August. Russian officials attributed problems to peak vacation season and agricultural demands.

UPDATE 0856 GMT:

Visiting Kyiv, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper announced £142 million ($192 million) in support for Ukraine over the winter and into 2026.

The aid package includes £100 million ($135 million) for humanitarian assistance to help civilians in frontline communities, protect the most vulnerable, and provide emergency support for those affected by Russian attacks.

“This will include repairing critical water and heating systems, and helping to support livelihoods and jobs and strengthen Ukrainian resilience in the fourth winter of Russia’s illegal war,” the Foreign Office said.

Another £42 million ($57 million) will fund vital repairs to electricity networks and help protect gas and energy infrastructure ahead of winter.

UPDATE 0841 GMT:

At least six civilians have been murdered and 26 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.

Air defenses downed 33 out of 40 drones. Six UAVs struck three locations.

In the Sumy region in northern Ukraine, at least three people were killed and five injured by drones and missiles targeting an industrial zone and residential area.

In the Donetsk region in the east, two civilians were murdered.

In the Zaporizhzhia region in the south, a 65-year-old man was slain.

Casualties were also reported in the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kherson regions.

UPDATE 0836 GMT: Marcin Przydacz, Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s top foreign policy aide, says the number of Russian drones confirmed to have crossed into Poland’s territory is now 21.

The Interior Ministry said on Thursday night that 17 drones had been retrieved. At least 15 were Gerbera decoy drones, which can be used as distractions or can carry small explosive payloads. They were equipped with fuel tanks that doubled their range to as far as 900 km (559 miles).

Przydacz noted a Russian disinformation campaign, portraying the drones as Ukrainian.

UPDATE 0825 GMT:

Japan is imposing sanctions on another 47 Russian companies and nine individuals.

Following the European Union and UK, Tokyo is reducing the price cap on Russian seaborne crude oil from $60 to $47.60 per barrel.

The measures include an export ban on two Russian entities and nine third-country entities involved in sanctions evasion.

Ukraine Presidential Chief of Staff Andrii Yermak commented:

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Poland has pushed back against Donald Trump’s thought that Russia’s drone incursion into Polish territory may have been a “mistake”.

In remarks to reporters on Thursday, Trump played down the 19 drones that crossed into Poland on Sunday: “It could have been a mistake. I’m not happy about anything to do with the whole situation, but hopefully that’s going to come to an end.”

Poland’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, responded, “No, it was not”.

Sikorski explained on Polish radio, “Nineteen violations of our airspace, several dozen drones identified, a few shot down, the action lasting seven hours, the whole night – so we cannot say it was an accident.”

Warsaw will use a Friday meeting of the UN Security Council to “draw the world’s attention to this unprecedented Russian drone attack on a member of the UN, EU and NATO”.

Investigators said fragments of the drones, which crossed from Belarus and Ukraine, were found more than 300 miles inside Polish borders. Sikorski and the Ukrainian and Lithuanian Foreign Ministers noted the “deliberate and coordinated attack” and an “unprecedented provocation”.

Sikorski also spoke to Trump via the reality TV star’s favored outlet, Fox TV. He said of Trump’s cryptic statement, “Here we go”:

We need to change Vladimir Putin’s calculations. We need to convince him that he cannot conquer Ukraine at an acceptable cost.

To do this, we need to impose more sanctions of Russia. We need to starve Russia of the resources to prosecute this criminal war.

Europe Rallies Around Poland

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday that the possibility of a large military conflict was “closer than at any time since World War II”.

On a visit to an airbase to praise personnel for their quick response, Tusk said Poland should receive the first delivery of F-35 fighter jets from the US next year, part of a package of 32 aircraft in a “great modernization program”.

We hope that the Americans will meet the deadlines. We would like the first batch of the F-35s to reach you in May, and so that we can speak of our air power with increasing confidence from month to month, and from year to year. And that Poland is truly safe from the sky.

European allies rallied around Poland. The Netherlands announced that it will send Poland two Patriot air defense systems, counter-drone equipment, and 300 troops by the end of 2025. The Czech Government has pledged three Mi-171Sh helicopters. /p>

The German Chancellery said it will increase its contribution to the NATO air policing program from two to four fighter jets. The UK is considering the return of Typhoon fighter jets, stationed in Poland until six weeks ago as part of the mission.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Poland will send military officials to Ukraine for consultations and training on how to effectively shoot down the Russian drones.

US to Ask G7 for Sanctions on China and India

NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, the US general Alexus Grynkewich, maintained a cautious line: “We do not yet know if this was an intentional act or an unintentional act. He also expressed “low confidence” in Poland’s claim of 19 drones.

I would not be able to tell you with any confidence today that it was 20 or that it was 10. We just have to get into the technical details to figure that out, to debrief the crews that were up see what they saw.

Other American officials were more forthcoming in support for Warsaw and Ukraine. Trump’s envoy Keith Kellogg arrived in Kyiv on Thursday afternoon for consultations with Zelensky.

The US Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Wheeler, assured, “We stand by our NATO allies in the face of these airspace violations and will defend every inch of Nato territory.”

And the Administration intends to ask G7 nations today to impose sanctions on China and India over their purchase of Russian oil, said “four sources familiar with the plan”.

The US will call in the virtual meeting for tariffs between 50% and 100%.

One official said, “The President came on this morning and his view is that the obvious approach here is, let’s all put on dramatic tariffs and keep the tariffs on until the Chinese agree to stop buying the oil. There really aren’t many other places that oil can go.”