NATO pledges increased Ukraine support as Russia strikes near border

NATO chief Rutte insists Western allies will not be intimidated by Russian attacks meant to ‘scare’ them off.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has pledged additional support for Ukraine after Russian drone strikes hit close to the border with Poland.

Rutte insisted on Monday that the 32-nation military alliance will not be deterred from backing Kyiv in the Russia-Ukraine war, and that it will beef up its own defences along the eastern border with Russia.

The NATO chief’s comments came as Poland pledged increased security along its border with Ukraine. On Sunday, Russian drones hit a train near the Ukraine-Poland border and a second strike hit close to another crossing point.

The strike that hit the train came minutes after a diplomatic delegation that included former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt had passed through the station, according to Ukraine’s state rail operator.

“The strikes yesterday on trains in Ukraine close to NATO territory again show Putin’s desperation and also his desire to sow fear and terror,” Rutte said at NATO’s political headquarters in Brussels. “Russia is growing increasingly reckless as it continues its terrible war against Ukraine.”

Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Monday that the Polish army had also recovered what was believed to be a Russian military drone from the Baltic Sea near the coastal village of Jaroslawiec.

Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the attacks close to the Polish border were “clearly meant to scare Western countries from supporting Ukraine,” and added: “We should show that we are there for Ukraine and we are not scared.”

Asked about the strike on the train, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian forces were operating “across the entire territory of Ukraine … and will continue to do so”.

Spillover fears

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned on Sunday that Moscow appears poised to intensify its campaign targeting Ukraine’s western borders.

“These coming weeks and months will be a time of very intensified actions on the Russian side, and unfortunately we cannot rule out that this escalation will also affect our territory,” Tusk said as he emerged from a security briefing in Warsaw.

Polish officials have said intelligence reports, including a CIA briefing last week, suggest that Russia is likely to attack border points and intensify sabotage actions inside European countries as part of its efforts to discourage states from supporting Ukraine.

Tusk said he would consult NATO allies on preparing a potential joint response.

Trump returns to the table

Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump said that Ukraine and Russia have agreed not to hit each other’s energy infrastructure.

The US president has recently appeared ready to revive efforts to broker peace, albeit continuing to suggest he leans towards the Russian narrative on the war.

The cost of diesel fuel in particular has come into focus as inflation continues to dent Trump’s popularity ahead of the US midterm elections in November. Ukraine has found significant success in targeting Russia’s oil refining infrastructure in recent months.

“Ukraine has agreed not to hit Russian Energy targets. Russia has agreed to do, likewise!” Trump wrote on social media.

Despite the US’s continued war on Iran, the US president has said he believes the hike in diesel fuel prices is caused by the war in Ukraine.

However, neither Russia nor Ukraine has confirmed the claim.

Russian forces hit two cargo vessels in the Black Sea on Monday, the Interfax news agency reported. One person was killed and another was injured during attacks on Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, local authorities said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested on Monday that a de-escalating step concerning critical infrastructure could be “a first step towards peace”.

Ukraine is ready ⁠to halt strikes ⁠on Russia if its partners ensure that Moscow will refrain from hitting Ukrainian energy facilities, ⁠infrastructure and food supply routes, he said.

The Ukrainian leader has previously suggested that mutual strikes could be paused as a first step towards halting hostilities. However, the Kremlin has persistently insisted that Ukraine must hand over territory and demilitarise before halting it will end its attacks.