Overview

• Poland activated fighter jets to secure its airspace after Russian overnight strikes hit western Ukraine near the Polish border, as nationwide air alarms sounded.
• Ukrainian authorities reported air defenses engaging over Kyiv and explosions across multiple regions, with injuries and infrastructure damage confirmed.
• Russia’s foreign minister said further talks with the United States are being arranged but insisted that “new territorial realities” must be recognized and legally formalized.
• Vladimir Putin thanked Kim Jong Un for the “brave fight” of North Korean soldiers, while South Korea estimates roughly 15,000 North Korean personnel have been sent to Russia since last year.
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz labeled Putin “perhaps the gravest war criminal of our time,” urged stronger economic pressure on Russia, and ruled out German troop deployments before a ceasefire.