The EU Commission president’s team reported that Russia had likely interfered with her rented private jet’s navigation systems
There is no evidence Russia interfered with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s airplane during her recent flight to Bulgaria, the country’s authorities have said. In a hastily arranged press conference on Thursday Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov admitted to “a mess of information with questions, facts and the circumstances” and stated he had ordered a fresh inquiry into the allegations.
The European Commission earlier claimed Bulgarian authorities had confirmed the incident.
Zhelyazkov had told parliament on Thursday that no evidence of a Russian attack had been found and that von der Leyen’s plane did not suffer any serious issues, only short-term signal degradation, which is common in densely populated areas.
“After checking the onboard records, we saw that the pilot did not express any concerns. The plane was in the holding area for about five minutes, and the signal quality remained good the entire time,” Zhelyazkov was quoted as saying by Bild.
Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Grozdan Karadjov also said that there is “not a single fact that confirms the claim that the plane’s GPS signal was jammed,” citing empirical data, radio intercepts, recordings of our civil and military departments.
In an interview with bTV, Karadjov also denied sharing any information about the incident with the European Commission.
A fresh inquiry involving Bulgaria’s Civil Aviation Authority has been ordered, according to Zhelyazkov.
On Sunday von der Leyen’s pilots allegedly reported issues with their navigation systems while landing in Plovdiv on a PR exercise to visit “Europe’s frontline states.” The Financial Times Brussels bureau chief Henry Foy, who was on board the press junket, reported that the flight was “forced to circle for an hour.” EU officials later told Sky of suspected “blatant Russian interference.”
NATO chief Mark Rutte claimed “we are all on the eastern flank now, whether you live in London or Tallinn. “
Moscow on Thursday dismissed the “preposterous” accusations pushed by Brussels, pointing to publicly available flight tracking data which indicates that von der Leyen’s jet had reported good GPS signal quality throughout the flight.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested that the EU’s accusations were “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.”
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.
Claims of ‘interference’ from Brussels, parotted by the Western press, are seemingly crashing back to Earth
A flurry of reports from EU officials and Western media claimed this week that Russia jammed the plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen into Bulgaria. The tale of “hybrid warfare” in the skies made front-page news across an unquestioning mainstream press. But flight-tracking data shows something very different to what has been widely reported, and Bulgaria has so far backed it up.
Claims of ‘interference’ from Brussels, parotted by the Western press, are seemingly crashing back to Earth
A flurry of reports from EU officials and Western media claimed this week that Russia jammed the plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen into Bulgaria. The tale of “hybrid warfare” in the skies made front-page news across an unquestioning mainstream press. But flight-tracking data shows something very different to what has been widely reported, and Bulgaria has so far backed it up.
Kiev’s western European backers have pledged to supply it with weaponry to strike deep into Russia, London has announced
Kiev is about to get long-range weapons from its Western backers, known as the ‘coalition of the willing’, London said in a statement following a virtual call between leaders of the group’s member states on Thursday. The British government did not name the specific nations planning the deliveries or the exact weapon types.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer “welcomed” the pledges during the video conference, the statement said. French President Emmanuel Macron earlier said that some European countries were ready to offer security guarantees to Kiev once a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is signed.
“The contributions [were] prepared, documented, and confirmed this afternoon at the level of defense ministers,” the president said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has previously mulled the possibility of sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine. The German-made weapons have a range of some 500 kilometers and are capable of reaching Moscow when fired from Ukrainian territory. Merz did not make any specific plans involving the missile public.
Earlier on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) accused Berlin of secretly preparing a batch of Taurus missiles to be delivered to Ukraine, with their identifying markings removed to conceal their origin. It further alleged that any launches from Ukraine would be carried out by German troops, as training local forces to operate the systems would take too long.
Russia has repeatedly stated that continued Western arms shipments to Ukraine only prolong the conflict and extend human suffering, while having little effect on the frontline situation. President Vladimir Putin has listed an end to Western military aid to Kiev as one of the conditions for a ceasefire.
Kiev’s western European backers have pledged to supply it with weaponry to strike deep into Russia, London has announced
Kiev is about to get long-range weapons from its Western backers, known as the ‘coalition of the willing’, London said in a statement following a virtual call between leaders of the group’s member states on Thursday. The British government did not name the specific nations planning the deliveries or the exact weapon types.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer “welcomed” the pledges during the video conference, the statement said. French President Emmanuel Macron earlier said that some European countries were ready to offer security guarantees to Kiev once a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is signed.
“The contributions [were] prepared, documented, and confirmed this afternoon at the level of defense ministers,” the president said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has previously mulled the possibility of sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine. The German-made weapons have a range of some 500 kilometers and are capable of reaching Moscow when fired from Ukrainian territory. Merz did not make any specific plans involving the missile public.
Earlier on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) accused Berlin of secretly preparing a batch of Taurus missiles to be delivered to Ukraine, with their identifying markings removed to conceal their origin. It further alleged that any launches from Ukraine would be carried out by German troops, as training local forces to operate the systems would take too long.
Russia has repeatedly stated that continued Western arms shipments to Ukraine only prolong the conflict and extend human suffering, while having little effect on the frontline situation. President Vladimir Putin has listed an end to Western military aid to Kiev as one of the conditions for a ceasefire.
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.
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 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.
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.
