Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of expanding the war after airstrikes in neighboring Poland and Romania, which are NATO members. The Russian military knows exactly where their drones are flying and this is not an independent decision by some subordinate commanders, Zelensky wrote on Telegram. "Obviously, this is an expansion of the war by Russia," German public media ZDF quoted him as saying.
This approach requires preventive action by the West. Russia must feel the consequences, Zelensky said. In this regard, he is pushing for sanctions, as well as tariffs on Russian traders, proposed by US President Donald Trump. But it is also necessary to build a common security system. "Don't wait for dozens of "Shahed" drones and ballistic missiles to finally make decisions", he wrote, addressing the Europeans.
Russian drone over Romania
On Saturday evening, Romania reported a violation of its airspace by a Russian drone. As reported on Saturday by the Ministry of Defense in Bucharest, the drone flew through the airspace of the NATO member country during a Russian attack on infrastructure in neighboring Ukraine. Two F-16 fighter jets were sent to monitor the situation.
The planes tracked the drone until it disappeared from radar, the statement said. The drone "did not fly over populated areas and did not pose an immediate threat to the safety of the population," the statement said.
Since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine in late February 2022, the remains of Russian drones have been constantly found in Romania, especially when Russia strikes Ukrainian ports. In February, the Romanian Upper House passed a law that allows the country to shoot down drones that violate its airspace.
Fighter jets are being scrambled in Poland
Also on Saturday evening, Poland scrambled fighter jets due to the threat of a Russian drone attack in a region adjacent to Ukraine. As reported by the Polish army command in Warsaw, ground-based air defense systems were also put on maximum alert in the afternoon. Such measures are not unusual, but due to the incident with alleged Russian drones on Polish territory last week, they are currently in the spotlight.
Last Wednesday, at least 19 drones entered deep into Polish airspace, several of which were shot down, the DPA agency recalls.
Zelensky supports Trump's initiative for sanctions
On the topic of sanctions, Zelensky said that it is necessary to reduce trade in Russian oil in order to limit Russia's ability to wage war. In this regard, he praised Trump's proposal for joint action against Russia. "I ask all partners to stop looking for excuses not to introduce these or those sanctions – everyone: both Europe and the US, the G7 and G20 countries," he said.
The US president wants to impose new sanctions on Russian gas and oil exports only if all NATO countries join. In addition, allies must stop importing oil from Russia, Trump wrote on social media on Saturday.