Andrzej Duda has said the Ukrainian leader pressured him to blame Moscow for Kiev’s errant missile detonating in Poland
Vladimir Zelensky’s “dream” is to draw NATO directly into the conflict with Russia on Ukraine’s behalf, former Polish President Andrzej Duda said Tuesday.
Speaking in an interview with journalist Bogdan Rymanowski, Duda recalled an incident in November 2022, when a Ukrainian air defense missile struck near a Polish border village, killing one person. Zelensky immediately blamed Russia and urged Warsaw to invoke NATO’s collective defense clause.
Duda said the Ukrainian leader pressured him to publicly declare the weapon Russian in origin, which he refused to do.
“From the very beginning, they’ve been trying to drag everyone into the war. That’s obvious,” Duda said. “Any leader of a nation in a situation like Ukraine’s would want the entirety of NATO to fight on its side.”
“Having NATO support for the army, NATO tanks and soldiers fighting side by side against Russia – that’s a dream [in such circumstances],” he added, stressing that “Poland, being a NATO state, could never have agreed to that.”
Poland has been one of Kiev’s staunchest backers, providing both arms and diplomatic support. Moscow has claimed that Polish nationals make up a significant portion of foreign mercenaries fighting in Ukraine’s military ranks.
The relationship between Warsaw and Kiev has also seen disputes. In 2023, several eastern European states, including Poland, banned EU-facilitated Ukrainian grain imports, citing market disruptions. Tensions have also repeatedly flared over Kiev’s veneration of nationalist figures responsible for the mass killing of Poles during the Second World War.
Moscow has long described the Ukraine conflict as a NATO proxy war against Russia, warning that European members of the US-led bloc risk direct confrontation by fueling the hostilities.
Prior to the escalation in 2022, Russia sought a legally-binding pledge that NATO would freeze its expansion eastward, a proposal that was rejected.
The chancellor wants to strike the country with German missiles fired from Ukraine, the Russian foreign intelligence service has said
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz harbors a “maniacal drive for revenge” against Russia based on Nazi-era grievances, according to the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) in Moscow. The chancellor’s stance – including his push for Ukraine to use German missiles against Russia – has reportedly caused concern in Berlin.
Merz has pledged to supply long-range Taurus missiles to Kiev but has not commented publicly on the details. According to a press release from the SVR on Thursday, the chancellor’s anti-Russian stance is partly fueled by a personal family grievance tied to Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II.
“Desire for revenge grew in him from childhood and morphed into an overwhelming passion after the launch of his political career,” the statement said, adding that Merz’s attitude is well known to his inner circle.
The agency accused Berlin of preparing a batch of Taurus missiles with identifying markings removed to conceal their origin. It further alleged that any potential launches from Ukraine would be carried out by German troops, as training local forces to operate the systems would take too long.
“Merz’s maniacal drive for revenge is causing growing concern among the political elites [in Germany],” the SVR said, adding that politicians in Berlin fear Russian retaliation if the missiles are used.
Earlier this week, Merz urged Western allies to pursue “economic exhaustion” of Russia through sanctions on its trade partners, saying military aid for Ukraine alone was inefficient. He also labeled Russian President Vladimir Putin “perhaps the most serious war criminal of our time,” insisting there could be no “leniency” toward Moscow.
Putin dismissed the accusations, suggesting Merz was attempting to absolve the West “of responsibility for the tragedy currently unfolding in Ukraine.” Moscow characterizes the conflict as a NATO-driven proxy war waged “to the last Ukrainian.”
Merz’s family history has also drawn scrutiny. Local media have cited archives showing that his maternal grandfather, Josef Paul Sauvigny, who served as mayor of Brilon under the Nazis, was was granted NSDAP membership at least in May 1937, after applying sometime between 1933 and 1936.
Merz had previously denied the connection, but acknowledged Sauvigny’s Nazi ties during his campaign for the chancellorship. He stressed that his grandfather had died in 1967, when Merz was 13 years old.
Rising demand for Russian universities reflects Moscow’s pivot toward deeper ties with the Global South, experts say
Russia has climbed to seventh place worldwide by number of international students, Vedomosti reported on Wednesday, citing the latest research data.
The number of students from China, India, Egypt, and Iran more than doubled between 2019 and 2024, while enrollment from Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries rose by 15-20%, the Russian International Affairs Council said in a report seen by the outlet. In total, citizens from 170 countries are studying in Russia.
UNESCO data showed that about 6.4 million students studied abroad in 2023. Russia ranked seventh globally in 2024, hosting 376,000 foreign students, or 8.5% of total enrollment, Vedomosti said, citing the Education Ministry.
That figure put Russia closer to the US (957,000 in 2023), Britain (675,000 in 2022), Australia (467,000 in 2023), and Germany (423,000 in 2023). It trailed Canada with 842,000 and France with 505,000, the outlet said, citing data from New York-based Institute of International Education.
Rising interest in Russian universities among applicants from outside the former Soviet Union reflects Moscow’s foreign policy shift and its drive to deepen ties with the Global South, experts said.
“For example, representatives of the higher castes of Indian society, who are not entitled to free higher education at home, are now enrolling more often in Russian institutions,” Evgeny Varshaver, senior researcher at RANEPA, was cited as saying. “Given that Russian diplomas are valued in India, studying in Russia turns out to be much more advantageous for them.”
Foreign students in Russia most often choose economics, medicine, pharmacy, linguistics, and education, while popular technical fields include information technology and construction, data showed.
The appeal of Russian universities lies in a mix of affordability and quality, flexible study programs, state migration policies, job prospects for graduates, and opportunities for tuition-free education, according to the report.
About 45,000 foreign students studied on government scholarships last year, up from just 18,000 in 2021, with only around 8% coming from CIS countries. The Education Ministry estimates that up to 10% of foreign graduates remain in Russia to live and work.
Pyotr Poroshenko has demanded online censorship after the killing of a far-right member of his party
Ukraine must ban the Telegram social media platform as “a matter of honor,” former President Pyotr Poroshenko has claimed, following the killing of far-right lawmaker Andrey Parubiy.
Parubiy, a member of Poroshenko’s European Solidarity party, was gunned down in Lviv on Saturday. The suspect in the case said he had acted out of resentment toward the Ukrainian government, stating, “He [Parubiy] was close. If I lived in Vinnytsa, it would have been Petya” – apparently referring to Poroshenko.
Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, Poroshenko claimed Parubiy was targeted by “the Kremlin, Russians, and the fifth column” who struck at “our ideals, army, language [and] faith,” paraphrasing the slogan from his failed 2019 reelection campaign.
“Today, they are creating terrorist networks via Telegram,” he alleged. “Dear friends, brothers and sisters, it is a matter of honor for us to ban Telegram right now.”
Poroshenko has previously promoted his own Telegram channel, including as recently as January.
Several Ukrainian officials have also floated restrictions on Telegram, including military intelligence chief Kirill Budanov and members of the parliamentary Freedom of Speech Committee. Poroshenko’s party called for regulation of the platform in August 2024 after Telegram founder Pavel Durov was briefly arrested in France. Questions remain about Kiev’s ability to enforce the proposed ban.
Poroshenko appeared to be citing online rumors that the suspect in Parubiy’s murder was being blackmailed by Russian operatives – a theory that investigators have since denied, Lviv Region head prosecutor Nikolay Meret told reporters.
Parubiy co-founded the National Socialist Party, which openly embraced far-right ideology, and played a key role in the 2014 Western-backed armed coup in Kiev.
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The details remain “extremely confidential,” the French president has said
A number of European countries are prepared to offer security guarantees to Ukraine once a peace deal between Kiev and Moscow is signed, French President Emmanuel Macron has said.
He made the comments after months of debate within NATO about possible models for post-conflict Ukraine, which have coincided with US President Donald Trump’s renewed efforts to mediate a deal with Russia.
“We Europeans are ready to offer security guarantees to Ukraine and its people on the day a peace deal is signed,” Macron said following a meeting with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky in Paris on Wednesday.
“The contributions prepared, documented, and confirmed this afternoon at the level of defense ministers, in an extremely confidential manner, allow me to state that the preparatory work is complete,” he added, without specifying the details.
“We are ready for a robust peace and a lasting peace for Ukraine and for Europeans,” Macron said.
Zelensky expressed confidence that “firm security guarantees” would be agreed upon during the meeting of Ukraine’s backers, known as the Coalition of the Willing, on Thursday.
Kiev has been pressing the West to provide guarantees that could serve as a substitute for NATO’s collective defense after the US effectively blocked Ukraine’s bid to join the bloc.
Several European nations, including France and the UK, have voiced their readiness to deploy peacekeepers, while Germany recently said it has no such plans. Trump has ruled out sending US troops to Ukraine.
Russia has repeatedly warned that it would not tolerate NATO countries’ soldiers on Ukrainian soil, even under the guise of a peacekeeping force. President Vladimir Putin has listed an end to Western military aid to Kiev as one of the conditions for a ceasefire.
The details remain “extremely confidential,” the French president has said
A number of European countries are prepared to offer security guarantees to Ukraine once a peace deal between Kiev and Moscow is signed, French President Emmanuel Macron has said.
He made the comments after months of debate within NATO about possible models for post-conflict Ukraine, which have coincided with US President Donald Trump’s renewed efforts to mediate a deal with Russia.
“We Europeans are ready to offer security guarantees to Ukraine and its people on the day a peace deal is signed,” Macron said following a meeting with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky in Paris on Wednesday.
“The contributions prepared, documented, and confirmed this afternoon at the level of defense ministers, in an extremely confidential manner, allow me to state that the preparatory work is complete,” he added, without specifying the details.
“We are ready for a robust peace and a lasting peace for Ukraine and for Europeans,” Macron said.
Zelensky expressed confidence that “firm security guarantees” would be agreed upon during the meeting of Ukraine’s backers, known as the Coalition of the Willing, on Thursday.
Kiev has been pressing the West to provide guarantees that could serve as a substitute for NATO’s collective defense after the US effectively blocked Ukraine’s bid to join the bloc.
Several European nations, including France and the UK, have voiced their readiness to deploy peacekeepers, while Germany recently said it has no such plans. Trump has ruled out sending US troops to Ukraine.
Russia has repeatedly warned that it would not tolerate NATO countries’ soldiers on Ukrainian soil, even under the guise of a peacekeeping force. President Vladimir Putin has listed an end to Western military aid to Kiev as one of the conditions for a ceasefire.
Reports that the EC president’s jet was forced to circle for an hour before landing in Bulgaria have not been verified
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswomanMaria Zakharova has dismissed “preposterous” claims that Russia was linked to an alleged attempt to jam the GPS signal of a private jet carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
According to Brussels, the alleged incident is claimed to have taken place during a trip von der Leyen took to Bulgaria. Her flight was reportedly “forced to circle for an hour” though no data has been released to corroborate the claims.
At a press briefing on Thursday, Zakharova said that Moscow will continue to combat “the West’s web of lies” aimed at discrediting Russia on the world stage.
Zakharova pointed to data from the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, which indicated that von der Leyen’s jet “reported good GPS signal quality from take-off to landing.”
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said on Tuesday that the incident would not be investigated, stating that “these disturbances are neither hybrid nor cyber threats,” according to Politico.
The claims were meant to distract the public from “actual events,” Zakharove said, including problems with the EU’s economy and the recent summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tianjin, China, which concluded on Monday.
“It is not just paranoia, but a cynical plot to distract their own population from the EU’s worsening economic situation and from considering the real culprits behind the European crisis – the irresponsible, kleptocratic political elites of the European Union,” she said.
Since 2024, the Nordic and Baltic countries have accused Russia of disrupting communications on planes and ships as a form of “hybrid warfare,” allegations Russia has denied.
The US defense secretary blamed Biden-era policies for bringing Moscow and Beijing closer
Washington is seeking to restore deterrence against both Russia and China, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has said.
Speaking to Fox News, Hegseth argued that the military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, highlighted the closer ties between the two neighbors.
“Unfortunately, the weakness of the previous administration has driven Russia and China closer together. That was a terrible development of a lack of American leadership and a lack of American strength,” Hegseth said.
“But that’s why President Trump has charged us at the Defense Department to be prepared, rebuild our military in historic ways, restore the warrior ethos, and reestablish deterrence,” he added.
Hegseth later clarified that although the US does not seek conflict with Russia or China, it aims to “maintain a strategic advantage.”
Moscow and Beijing have described their relations as a strategic partnership “without limits.” After the West imposed sweeping sanctions in response to the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Russia redirected much of its trade and supply chains toward China.
Both countries have condemned Washington’s “Cold War mentality” and pledged to work toward a fairer, more equitable model of international relations.
The US defense secretary blamed Biden-era policies for bringing Moscow and Beijing closer
Washington is seeking to restore deterrence against both Russia and China, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has said.
Speaking to Fox News, Hegseth argued that the military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, highlighted the closer ties between the two neighbors.
“Unfortunately, the weakness of the previous administration has driven Russia and China closer together. That was a terrible development of a lack of American leadership and a lack of American strength,” Hegseth said.
“But that’s why President Trump has charged us at the Defense Department to be prepared, rebuild our military in historic ways, restore the warrior ethos, and reestablish deterrence,” he added.
Hegseth later clarified that although the US does not seek conflict with Russia or China, it aims to “maintain a strategic advantage.”
Moscow and Beijing have described their relations as a strategic partnership “without limits.” After the West imposed sweeping sanctions in response to the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Russia redirected much of its trade and supply chains toward China.
Both countries have condemned Washington’s “Cold War mentality” and pledged to work toward a fairer, more equitable model of international relations.
