Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could expand the war beyond Ukraine, accusing Moscow of recent
drone incursions into European airspace as an attempt to test Nato's defences. Speaking in Kyiv after meeting former US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Zelenskyy said: "Putin will not wait to finish his war in Ukraine. He will open up some other direction. Nobody knows where. He wants that." The Ukrainian president claimed that the Kremlin was deliberately probing Europe's capacity to protect its skies. Recent incidents included drone sightings in Denmark, Poland, and Romania, as well as Russian fighter jets violating Estonian airspace. More drones were reportedly seen over a Danish military base on Friday night and a Norwegian base on Saturday.
Russia vs NATO
Earlier this month, Ukraine reported spotting 92 drones flying towards Poland in a "choreographed" formation. Ukrainian forces intercepted most, but 19 crossed into Polish territory, where four were shot down.
Zelenskyy suggested that European governments were struggling to address this evolving threat. He added that representatives from several unnamed countries would travel to Ukraine for practical training on repelling Russian aerial attacks, saying: "We are ready to share our experience."
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He stressed that Ukraine's military was at war, unlike some European countries, saying: "I am not comparing our forces. We are at war and they [Poland] are not."
Meeting with Donald Trump
Zelenskyy described his discussions with Trump as "very nice" and said he had briefed the former US president on the realities on the battlefield. Following the meeting, Trump said he believed Ukraine could regain all territory lost since 2022 with the support of Europe and Nato. He also described Russia's economy as struggling and its military as a "paper tiger."
"It's not success. It's temporary presence," Zelenskyy said, referring to Russia's advances on the battlefield.
Zelenskyy declined to comment on reports that he had requested US Tomahawk cruise missiles capable of striking Moscow, calling it "a sensitive issue."
Kyiv has recently carried out a series of successful strikes on Russian oil refineries using domestically produced long-range drones. Zelenskyy warned that if Moscow attempted to destroy Ukraine's energy infrastructure again this winter, its own capital could face retaliatory blackouts.
