- Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that any conflict with Europe would be very short if Moscow were attacked first, while maintaining that Russia has no intention of initiating hostilities.
- Lavrov's statement comes in response to Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who recently asserted that Nato would quickly defeat Russia due to its overwhelming air power superiority.
- European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has proposed establishing a European Security Council alongside partners such as Britain, Canada, and Norway to effectively counter hybrid threats.
- Recent military friction has highlighted rising regional tensions, including Denmark accusing a Russian warship of firing flares at a Danish military helicopter without warning.
- CIA director John Ratcliffe reportedly conducted a rare trip to Moscow to warn against attacks on Nato, though Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the reports as scare stories.
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