Warplanes were scrambled early on Wednesday after Ukraine\u2019s air force warned that Russian drones had entered Nato-member Poland\u2019s airspace. \u201cPolish 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,\u201d Poland\u2019s operational command said. The Ukrainian air force said drones were heading west and threatening the city of Zamosc in Poland. Ukrainian media reported that one was heading towards the western Polish city of Rzeszow, and said airports were being temporarily closed.<\/p>\n
Poland will close its border with Belarus on Thursday as a result of the \u201cvery aggressive\u201d Zapad military exercises taking place in Belarus involving Russia, Donald Tusk has announced. The Polish prime minister said it was also a response to a growing number of provocations from Russia and Belarus. Separately, Poland\u2019s president, Karol Nawrocki, warned that \u201cwe do not trust Vladimir Putin\u2019s good intentions.\u201d Nawrocki continued: \u201cWhile waiting, of course, for a long-term peace, permanent peace, which is necessary to our regions, we believe that Vladimir Putin is ready to also invade other countries.\u201d<\/p>\n
The US Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal challenged Congress and Donald Trump to adopt a bipartisan bill imposing \u201cscorching\u201d secondary sanctions on countries buying Russian oil like China, India and Brazil. The long-proposed bill is co-sponsored by Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator. \u201cI believe the president should be supportive,\u201d Blumenthal told NPR<\/a> on Tuesday. \u201cThe time has come for action. The president\u2019s been mocked and played by Putin, and I think the president ought to be furious that Putin has stalled and stonewalled in this way. And about this bill, there are 85 co-sponsors, evenly divided \u2013 Democrat and Republican \u2013 which I think shows the level of support in the Congress for these kinds of sanctions.\u201d<\/p>\n