Skip next section Zelenskyy to meet with Trump next week
09/20/2025September 20, 2025Zelenskyy to meet with Trump next week
Zelenksyy last met with Trump in August, days after Trump had hosted Putin in AlaskaImage: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo/picture alliance
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he will meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly next week.
According to Zelenskyy, he will discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia during his talks with Trump.
Efforts by the US under Trump to swiftly end the war or bring about a ceasefire have been unsuccessful, while Russia has made it clear that a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy is not on the cards.
“We expect sanctions if there is no meeting between the leaders or, for example, no ceasefire,” Zelenskyy said in comments released by the Ukrainian presidency.
“We are ready for a meeting with Putin. I have spoken about this. Both bilateral and trilateral.” He is not ready,” the Ukrainian leader added.
https://p.dw.com/p/50o4p
Skip next section Ukraine says it hit 2 Russian refineries
09/20/2025September 20, 2025Ukraine says it hit 2 Russian refineries
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said Saturday that its forces struck two Russian refineries overnight.
The refineries are located in the Saratova and Samara regions, near Kazakhstan.
“The Saratov oil refinery accounts for approximately 2.54% of the total oil refining volume in the Russian Federation (over 7 million tons of oil annually),” the General Staff said on Telegram.
“The Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery processes over 8.8 million tons of oil per year,” it added.
Ukraine has recently stepped up its attacks on Russian oil refineries and energy infrastructure using long-range drones.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that hitting Russia’s oil refineries are the “most effective sanctions.”
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Skip next section 3 killed, dozens hurt in ‘massive’ Russian attack — Zelenskyy
09/20/2025September 20, 20253 killed, dozens hurt in ‘massive’ Russian attack — Zelenskyy
Russia fired 40 drones and around 580 missilesImage: Gleb Garanich/REUTERS
Russia launched a “massive attack” overnight on Ukraine killing at least three people and wounding dozens of others, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday morning.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy said Russia had fired 40 cruise and ballistic missiles and around 580 drones during the assault, which lasted “all night.”
Ukraine’s president said the strikes had targeted “infrastructure, residential areas and civilian enterprises” in regions across the country, including Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Kyiv, Odesa, Sumy, and Kharkiv.
Zelenskyy said a missile with cluster munitions had “directly” struck an apartment building in Dnipro.
“Every such strike is not a military necessity but a deliberate strategy by Russia to terrorise civilians and destroy our infrastructure,” he said.
Zelenskyy said Russia’s latest attacks demonstrate the need for a “strong international response” as he called for Ukraine’s air defenses and weapons supplies to be strengthened, as well as tougher, broader sanctions on Moscow’s “military machine.”
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Skip next section Poland deploys aircraft after Russian strikes on Ukraine
09/20/2025September 20, 2025Poland deploys aircraft after Russian strikes on Ukraine
Poland and its allies deployed aircraft on Saturday to protect Polish airspace after Russia launched airstrikes on western Ukraine, the country’s military said.
Poland, a NATO member, shares a 529 kilometer (329 miles) border with western Ukraine.
“Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness,” the
operational command said in a post on X.
At 0340 GMT, nearly all of Ukraine’s territory was under air raid alerts after the Ukrainian Air Force warned of Russian missile and drone attacks.
While Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began over three years ago, Russian incursions of NATO airspace over the past week mark a significant escalation, NATO and Ukrainian officials have warned.
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Skip next section ‘I don’t love it,’ Trump says of Russia’s NATO airspace violation
09/20/2025September 20, 2025’I don’t love it,’ Trump says of Russia’s NATO airspace violation
Putin, who has largely been isolated by Europe over his invasion of Ukraine, was warmly received by Trump at a summit in Alaska this summerImage: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP
US President Donald Trump has reacted to reports that Russian jets flew violated Estonia’s and NATO’s airspace, telling reporters that he was still to be briefed by aides on the reported incursion.
“I don’t love it,” he said, adding, “I don’t like when that happens. It could be big trouble, but I’ll
let you know later.”
Trump’s response was considerably less firm than many of the US’ NATO allies, who roundly condemned the “brazen” and “reckless” alleged incursion.
The US president’s wavering commitment to NATO and his attempts to foster closer ties with Russia since his return to the White House have raised concerns in Europe.
Russian jets breach Estonian airspace, fueling NATO tensions
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Skip next section Russia denies violating Estonian airspace
09/20/2025September 20, 2025Russia denies violating Estonian airspace
Russia has denied that its fighter jets violated Estonia’s airspace on Friday.
“The flight was conducted in strict accordance with international airspace rules, without violating the borders of other states,” Moscow’s Defence Ministry said, according to Russian state news agency TASS early on Saturday.
“During the flight, the Russian aircraft did not deviate from the agreed flight path and did not violate Estonian airspace,” the ministry added, saying the jets flew over neutral waters of the
Baltic Sea, more than three kilometers (1.8 miles) from the island of Vaindloo.
The information could not be independently verified.
https://p.dw.com/p/50nWl
Skip next section Estonian president says air defense must be NATO priority
09/20/2025September 20, 2025Estonian president says air defense must be NATO priority
Estonian President Alar Karis described Russia’s violation of his country’s airspace as “another provocation,” adding that, “It’s very clear that air defence must be a NATO priority.”
Referring to NATO’s new Eastern Sentry mission to reinforce security along the alliance’s eastern flank, he added, “I am confident it will focus on all Russian air threats across the entire eastern flank.”
NATO launches ‘Eastern Sentry’ to protect eastern EU border
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Skip next section What has Germany said about Russia’s incursion into Estonian airspace?
09/20/2025September 20, 2025What has Germany said about Russia’s incursion into Estonian airspace?
Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul condemned Russia’s violation of Estonian airspace after the incident on Friday.
“Vigilance is the price of freedom. This principle of NATO remains as relevant as ever. Today’s unacceptable violation of Estonian airspace by Russia clearly demonstrates this,” Wadephul said on X.
The foreign minister said he had given Estonian counterpart, Margus Tsahkna, his assurance of Germany’s “full solidarity.”
“By immediately intercepting the Russian aircraft, we are showing that NATO is always ready to defend itself,” Wadephul said.
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Skip next section What happened on Friday?
09/20/2025September 20, 2025What happened on Friday?
NATO member Estonia said three Russian fighter jets entered its airspace and flew for 12 minutes in an “unprecedentedly brazen” incursion on Friday, amid rising tensions on the alliance’s eastern flank.
Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Russia had already violated Estonian airspace four times this year, “which is unacceptable in itself, but today’s violation, during which three fighter jets entered our airspace, is unprecedentedly brazen.”
Estonia was the third NATO country to report an incursion of its airspace by Russia in recent weeks, following incidents in Poland and Romania.
However, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement early Saturday that its jets flew over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, in proceeding from northwest Russia to Kaliningrad.
“The flight was conducted in strict accordance with international airspace rules, without violating the borders of other states,” the Russian ministry said.
“During the flight, the Russian aircraft did not deviate from the agreed flight path and did not violate Estonian airspace,” the ministry added.
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Skip next section Welcome to our coverage09/20/2025September 20, 2025Welcome to our coverage
Good morning readers. We’re following news about three Russian fighter jets having violated NATO member Estonia’s airspace in an unusually long 12-minute incursion on Friday.
Estonia then requested NATO Article 4 consultations after the intrusion. NATO’s principal political decision-making body is set to convene early next week to discuss the incident.
European leaders have condemned the incident, which came after NATO jets shot down Russian drones that entered Polish airspace earlier in September.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, called Friday’s incursion “an extremely dangerous provocation” that “further escalates tensions in the region.”
Stay with us for more on this and other developments involving Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Russian fighter jets ‘breach Estonian airspace’
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