Washington and its partners are considering additional sanctions if the parties do not observe a ceasefire, with political and technical negotiations between Europe and the U.S. intensifying since last week, Reuters' source said.
The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
Moscow and Washington discuss the potential resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe, among other issues related to the peaceful settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed to the Russian state-run Interfax news agency.
"This is a historic decision, as weapons for Ukraine will be purchased at the expense of the proceeds from frozen Russian assets through the European Peace Fund," Denys Shmyhal said.
The approval marks a key step in international efforts to hold Moscow accountable for what is considered the gravest violation of international law committed against Ukraine.
Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar attends the signing ceremony of the 'Mine Counter-Measures Task Group Black Sea (MCM Black Sea)'' within the scope of the trilateral initiative launched with Romania and Bulgaria under the leadership of Turkiye in Istanbul, Turkey, on Jan. 11, 2024. (Arif Hudaverdi Yaman/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Romania called on Sept. 18 for a "robust and coordinated" response by NATO to Russian drones violating allied airspace during attacks against Ukraine.
Speaking at a meeting of the Bucharest Nine (B9) format, Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar called for "enforcing the rotational air defense and integrated anti-missile model as soon as possible."
On several occasions, Romanian authorities have uncovered drone wreckage near their border with Ukraine in the Danube River region. Airspace violations by Russian drones or missiles have been reported also by Moldova, Latvia, and Poland.
According to available information, none of the said countries attempted to intercept Russian projectiles.
"The B9 states are deeply concerned about the repeated incursions of Russian drones and missiles into NATO airspace in Poland, Romania, and Latvia, as well as the escalation of tensions along NATO's borders," Tilvar said during a press briefing after a B9 meeting in Bucharest.
"That is why a robust and coordinated response at the allied level is necessary, as well as enforcing the rotational air defense and integrated anti-missile model as soon as possible."
The B9 format includes nine Central and Eastern European members of NATO and EU: Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
Tilvar also noted a "worrying" situation in the Black Sea region and a "set of constantly evolving threats" connected mainly to Russia's hybrid warfare, disinformation, and cyber attacks.
The B9 meeting discussed allied support for Ukraine so that "the Ukrainian Armed Forces have the necessary resources at the front," the minister added.
Romania has supported Ukraine throughout the full-scale war, providing artillery, armored vehicles, ammunition, and other aid. Bucharest also hosts a facility for training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets and pledged to deliver a Patriot air defense system to boost Ukraine's sky shield.
In his first official trip abroad since taking office, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha visit Romania earlier on Sept. 18 as the first leg of his European tour.
"We are grateful for Romania's steadfast support from the very start of Russian full-scale aggression," Sybiha said.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Martin Fornusek
