Russia tries to blame Ukraine for drone incursion into Romania – Europe live | World news

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Russia ‘tried to test us without starting war,’ Poland’s Sikorski says on visit to Kyiv

in Kyiv

Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski confirmed that while the drones that entered Poland last week were capable of carrying ammunition, they were not loaded with explosives.

Radosław Sikorski, Poland’s foreign minister, meets Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a visit to Ukraine. Photograph: Presidential Press Service Handout/EPA

“Interestingly, they were all duds, which suggests to me that Russia tried to test us without starting a war,” Sikorski told the Guardian in Kyiv.

He dismissed suggestions that Polish air defences had been unprepared for the incursion, given the fact some of the drones travelled hundreds of miles into Polish territory, and that accounts suggest only three or four out of about 19 were shot down.

“The drones didn’t reach their targets and there was minor damage to property, nobody was hurt. If it happened in Ukraine, by Ukrainian definitions, that would be regarded as a 100% success,” he said.

Sikorski said the Polish response would have been “much tougher” if last week’s attack had caused injuries or deaths in its territory, but declined to elaborate on how such a response could look in a future scenario. “With an aggressor and a liar like Putin, only the toughest counter-pressures work,” he said.

Sikorski said he hoped Trump would receive the Nobel peace prize if he could achieve “a fair peace” in the conflict, which he described as “Ukraine within defensible borders and a Ukraine that is integrating with the west”.

When it was suggested that Trump had so far showed not much sign of pressuring Putin to accept such an outcome, he said: “He has his personal style, we respect it, but we will judge it by results.”

Poland has said it would not contribute troops to such a mission and Sikorski, speaking at a Kyiv conference, cautioned against grand rhetoric when it came to future guarantees.

“Security guarantees are meant to deter a potential adversary … So what we are saying is that if there is some kind of peace, the next time Russia tries anything against Ukraine, we might go to war with Russia. Now I find that not very credible. Because if you want to go war with Russia, you can do it today and I see no volunteers. And there is nothing more dangerous in international relations than giving a guarantee that is not credible,” he said.

ShareRussian drone incursion into Poland ‘was Kremlin test on Nato,’ Poland’s Sikorski says

Back to Ukraine, Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski told my Guardian colleague Shaun Walker over the weekend that the Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace was an attempt by the Kremlin to test Nato’s reactions by incremental escalations without prompting a full-scale response.

Let me bring you some of the key lines from this interview.

ShareSpain threatens to boycott Eurovision if Israel takes part

Spain should boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest if Israel takes part, Spanish culture minister Ernest Urtasun said, joining other European nations threatening to pull out of the event, AFP reported.

Yuval Raphael representing Israel walks on stage during the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest Opening Ceremony at St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland. Photograph: Sebastian Reuter/Getty Images

His comments came a day after Spain’s La Vuelta cycling race was brought to a premature end due to chaotic pro-Palestinian protests in the centre of Madrid.

Demonstrators denouncing the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech team in one of cycling’s major races overwhelmed police and invaded the course in the Spanish capital, forcing organisers to cut short the final stage.

“We have to ensure that Israel does not take part in the next edition of Eurovision. Just as Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and also the Netherlands have already done, if we do not succeed in expelling Israel, Spain should not participate,” Urtasun told Spanish public radio.

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Updated at 05.28 EDT

Chinese foreign minister continues Europe tour with talks in Poland

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has landed in Poland, after a weekend in Slovenia and Austria while at the same time a high level Chinese delegation enter a second day of talks in Madrid with the US over tariffs.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi attends a news conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Photograph: Darko Bandić/AP

Wang hit out against Trump’s recent call for tariffs of between 50 and 100% on China when in Slovenia over the weekend saying his country was committed to promoting peace talks.

“China does not participate in or plan wars, and what China does is to encourage peace talks and promote political settlement of hotspot issues through dialogue,” Wang Yi said over the weekend, according to China Daily.

At the same time a Chinese delegation led by Chinese vice premier He Lifeng are in Madrid for a second day of talks over tariffs. It is the third round of talks after Geneva and London in July when they agreed another 90 day truce.

They are also discussing Washington’s demand that TikTok be sold to a non-Chinese owner or face a US ban by 17 September.

US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said they had made progress on Tiktok following a six hour session on Sunday but warned a deal may not be struck.

“Our Chinese counterparts have come with a very aggressive ask,” he added. “We will see if we can get there at present. We are not willing to sacrifice national security for a social media app.”

ShareMusk’s Starlink service back up after reported disruptions

Elon Musk’s satellite internet service Starlink was back online for most users after a brief outage on Monday, according to tracking website Downdetector.com as reported by Reuters.

Starlink’s website reported an outage early on Monday, without providing further details.

“Starlink is currently experiencing a service outage. Our team is investigating,” it said.

The message has since been removed.

The commander of Ukraine’s drone forces Robert Brovdi reported that the Starlink outage affected the entire frontline of the war with Russia starting at 07:28 local time (0428 GMT).

Ukraine’s forces are heavily reliant on SpaceX’s Starlink terminals for battlefield communications and some drone operations. More than 50,000 terminals are currently in operation in Ukraine, according to officials.

ShareMorning opening: First Poland, now Romania

Romania has summoned the Russian ambassador to protest over the entry of a Russian drone into its airspace during a strike on neighbouring Ukraine over the weekend.

A damaged drone lies after falling in the eastern Polish village of Czosnówka, Poland. Photograph: Dariusz Stefaniuk/Reuters

Just days after a number of Russian drones were reported crossing into Poland, another one flew into Romania on Saturday, drawing further condemnation from EU leaders.

In a statement, Romania’s defence ministry condemned Moscow’s actions, saying “they represent a new challenge to regional security and stability in the Black Sea area, AFP reported.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said:

“Russia’s incursion into Romanian airspace is once again a blatant violation of EU sovereignty and a serious threat to regional security. We are working closely with Romania and all Member States to protect the EU territory.”

But on Monday morning, Russia sought to deflect the blame pointing at Ukraine instead and claiming, without any evidence, that the drone incursion was “a provocation” by Kyiv.

Today should also bring us some first reactions to US president Donald Trump’s “letter to the world” over the weekend, asking Nato allies to completely halt purchases of Russian oil, implement their sanctions, and join him in tariff wars with China.

It’s Monday, 15 September 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.

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