Overview

• Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov declared NATO is 'de facto' at war with Russia and accused Ukraine of deliberately slowing peace talks.
• NATO activated Operation Centinela Oriental after reported drone violations in Poland and Romania, deploying assets from Denmark, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
• Moscow has not confirmed responsibility for the Polish incident, saying it will investigate and insisting it does not seek escalation.
• Russia’s Zapad‑2025 exercises included a Tsirkon hypersonic missile test in the Barents Sea, and Vladimir Putin oversaw the final phase involving roughly 100,000 troops.
• Russian strikes hit Zaporizhia, with local authorities reporting two dead and 14 injured, as Volodymyr Zelenskyy urges a European layered air‑defense system and President Donald Trump presses Europe to toughen sanctions and stop buying Russian oil, with a U.S. official saying a Trump–Zelenskyy meeting next week is possible.