Ukraine War Briefing: Poland Bolsters Defenses Amidst Escalating Tensions
Kyiv/Warsaw – September 12, 2025 – As Russia continues its military campaign in Ukraine, allied nations are increasing support for regional security, especially along Poland’s border. This comes as Russia stages large-scale military drills with Belarus, raising concerns across Eastern Europe.
NATO leaders announced Friday that denmark will contribute fighter jets and other military assets to enhance the defense of Poland against potential future Russian drone incursions. The UK is also expected to contribute to the “Eastern Sentry” mission, a program slated for expansion from the Arctic to the Black Sea and Mediterranean, designed to better counter Russian drones and missiles.
The increased defensive posture follows the commencement of major Russian-Belarusian military drills on Friday. These exercises are taking place near the borders of Poland and Lithuania, as well as in the Baltic and Barents seas. Footage released by the Russian defense ministry showcased armored vehicles, helicopters, and naval vessels participating in the drills. In response, Poland announced it will deploy approximately 40,000 troops to its border with Belarus for the duration of the exercises.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts remain stalled. Russia stated that peace talks with Ukraine are currently “on pause,” according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov,who told reporters,”Our negotiators have the possibility to communicate through channels. But for now, it is probably more accurate to talk about a pause.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,speaking at a conference in Kyiv,cautioned against trusting Russian President vladimir Putin. “Putin’s goal is to occupy all of Ukraine. And no matter what he tells anyone, it is clear that he has set the war machine in motion to such an extent that he simply cannot stop it unless he is forced to fundamentally change his personal goals,” zelenskyy stated. He also urged allies to leverage China’s influence with Russia to halt the offensive.
in a separate progress, Prince Harry made a surprise visit to Kyiv, laying a wreath at a memorial in Maidan Square honoring Ukraine’s war dead. He expressed his commitment to “do everything possible” to help the thousands of Ukrainian military personnel seriously injured in the conflict. harry, accompanied by his Invictus Games Foundation team, detailed new initiatives aimed at supporting the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers across Ukraine.
Former US President Donald Trump, in a Fox television interview, indicated his patience with Russia’s continued invasion was waning. “it’s sort of running out and running out fast, but it does take two to tango,” Trump said. He added, “It’s amazing. When Putin wants to do it, Zelensky didn’t. When Zelensky wanted to do it, Putin didn’t. Now Zelensky wants to and Putin is a question mark. We’re going to have to come down very, very strong.”
