Ukraine-Russia war latest: Poland’s PM says Russian drone incursion ‘wasn’t a mistake’ after Trump claim

There can be no mistake with such a large-scale attack on Poland, a Polish official said in response to US president Donald Trump’s suggestion that Wednesday’ Russian drone incursion might have been accidental.

“I think this is a message that should reach President Trump today: there’s no question of a mistake – this was a deliberate Russian attack,” deputy defence minister Cezary Tomczyk told local TV broadcaster Polsat News.

Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who visits Kyiv on Friday, also responded to Trump’s words. “On the night that 19 Russian drones crossed into Poland, 400 (drones) plus 40 missiles crossed into Ukraine. These were not mistakes,” he said in a video posted on X.

At Poland’s request, the UN Security Council will meet in New York on Friday. The meeting will begin at 3pm local time (8pm UK time), Polish foreign affairs ministry said.

Prince Harry has made a surprise visit to Kyiv to pledge his support for Ukrainian soldiers injured in the country’s war against Russia.

The Duke of Sussex was invited by the Ukrainian government as he said he aims to do “everything possible” to help the thousands of wounded military personnel, according to reports.

Alongside a team from his Invictus Games Foundation – which was founded by Harry in 2014 to enable injured veterans to take part in sporting events – the duke is set to outline new projects that will support the wounded in Kyiv in their rehabilitation. The initiatives are expected to later be rolled out across the country.

Russian and Belarus began a major joint military exercise on Nato’s doorstep on Friday that will involve drills in both countries and in the Baltic and Barents seas, the Russian defence ministry said.

The “Zapad-2025” exercise – a show of force by Russia and its close ally – is taking place at an exceptionally tense moment in the Russia-Ukraine war, two days after Poland, with support from its Nato allies, shot down suspected Russian drones over its airspace.

The Zapad (“West”) exercise was scheduled well before the drone incident, for which Russia denied responsibility.

“The objectives of the drills are to improve the skills of commanders and staffs, the level of co-operation and field training of regional and coalition groupings of troops,” the defence ministry said on Telegram.

France will deploy three Rafale fighter jets to help Poland protect its airspace after this week’s drone incursions into its airspace, French president Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday on X.

“The security of the European continent is our top priority. We will not give in to Russia’s increasing intimidation,” he said.

A French military official said the warplanes had already been deployed to Poland prior to Tuesday’s incursions.

The twin-engined jet is designed for various purposes including in-depth and anti-ship strikes, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, and nuclear deterrence missions.

Outgoing French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said France will summon the Russian ambassador on Friday over this week’s drone incursion into Poland’s airspace, which he told France Inter radio was “not an accident”.

France will deploy three Rafale fighter jets to help Poland protect its airspace after the drone incursions, French president Emmanuel Macron said late on Thursday.

The defence committee of Germany’s parliament has said the Nato alliance must down Russian drones which could threat its territory even if they are still in Ukrainian airspace.

Thomas Röwekamp, the committee’s chair, said Nato is capable of countering the “very serious challenges” posed by Russia.

“The best way to counter drones during a war is to destroy their production facilities and launch systems”, he said, adding that it is important “that Nato partners quickly equip Ukraine so that it can take measures against these targets on Russian soil”.

He added:”It should be possible, with the consent of the affected country, such as Ukraine, to down drones that threaten NATO territory, even when they are in their airspace.”

We earlier brought you the news that the UK has launched a new package of sanctions on Russia.

Here’s a little more detail on what the sanctions include.

They will target ships carrying Russian oil as well as companies and individuals supplying electronics, chemicals and explosives used to produce Russian weapons. 70 more ships transporting Russian oil and 30 companies and individuals supplying weapons kits are being targeted. Firms located in China and Turkey are among the sanctions. The package has been issued as a response to recent Russian aggression, referring to the higher number of drone and missile attacks on Ukraine and the recent violation of Nato airspace in Poland. New foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said: “International action to increase economic pressure on Russia and to cut off critical cash flows which he desperately needs to pay for this illegal war is vital.”

Earlier, we brought you the news that Prince Harry is making a surprise trip to Kyiv today on the invitation of the Ukrainian government.

The prince is arriving with a team from his Invictus Games Foundation to detail his charity’s plans to help rehabilitate wounded soldiers, the Guardian newspaper reported.

It is the second visit Harry, the younger son of Britain’s King Charles, has made to Ukraine this year, after he visited a centre for wounded military personnel in Lviv in April.

He was invited to the capital by the Ukrainian government, he said, and received permission from the British government and his wife before travelling.

The trip comes at the end of Harry’s four-day visit to Britain from his home in California, where he met his father King Charles for the first time in 18 months.

Harry served for 10 years in the British Army before setting up the Invictus Games Foundation, a charity which runs an international sporting event for military personnel wounded in action.