UK Prime Minister Urges trump to Pressure Putin Amid Escalating ‘Recklessness’
LONDON – British Prime Minister rishi Sunak has reportedly urged former U.S. President Donald Trump to use his influence to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin, amid growing concerns over escalating Russian “recklessness.” The call came as European officials discussed bolstering defenses against Russian drones, including the potential creation of a “drone wall” along the EU’s eastern border.
The urgency follows a recent drone incursion into Polish airspace last week, highlighting vulnerabilities in European and NATO defense systems. While Polish and NATO forces successfully intercepted several drones, the incident exposed gaps in existing protective measures.
European defense commissioner Andrius Kubilius announced plans to convene talks with defence ministers next week to accelerate the development of the “drone wall” concept. “We want really to move ahead with very, very intensive and effective preparations to start to fill this gap, which is really very dangerous for us … as quickly as we can do it,” Kubilius told Reuters. The EU’s executive arm aims to swiftly translate the idea into a concrete defense line, with potential insights from Ukraine – which could share lessons from its ongoing war with Russia, triggered by the 2022 invasion. Several EU countries were already discussing the concept prior to the Polish incident.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has intensified strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, recently targeting a major oil processing and petrochemical complex and an oil refinery within Russia. These strikes are part of a broader campaign to disrupt Russia’s oil and gas sector.
ABC/wires