'Not only do we know it's a Russian drone, we know that Putin knows': Romanian FM speaks to FRANCE 24
Speaking to FRANCE 24 in the wake of what Bucharest says was a Russian drone incursion into the NATO country, Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu said that she had little time for Russian President Vladimir Putin's suggestion that it was too early to say where the drone had come from.
Watch the full interview by clicking on the player below.
'We need Operation Eastern Sentry': NATO's eastern flank 'facing Russian threat every week'
As tensions continue to rise along NATO's eastern frontier, the latest drone incident in Romania has once again exposed the growing security dilemmas facing the frontline states of the military alliance.
To learn more, FRANCE 24 spoke to TV anchor and military analyst Radu Tudor.
Watch the full interview by clicking on the player below.
Russia 'has never threatened' European countries, Putin says
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that "Russia has never threatened and is not threatening European countries" in remarks made after Romania accused Moscow of being responsible for a drone that hit an apartment block.
Putin told a press conference during a visit to Kazakhstan that European countries sought to "continue the confrontation with Russia and to justify exorbitant spending from their state budgets".
Ukraine's Zelensky says Russia preparing 'new massive strike'
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Russia was preparing a "massive new strike" on the country and called on the population to take action to "protect your lives".
"We have intelligence information about Russia preparing a new massive strike," he said in a social media message. "Please pay attention to air alerts, protect your lives."
Russia has already warned foreign diplomats to leave Kyiv.
Drone that crashed in Romania was of Russian origin, NATO says
The drone that crashed into an apartment block in Romania during an attack on neighbouring Ukraine was of Russian origin, Martin O'Donnell, spokesperson for NATO's military headquarters SHAPE, said .
Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier said that it was too soon to say who had launched the drone, pointing to previous accidental incursions by Ukrainian drones in the Baltic states.
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- Putin questions if drone that struck Romanian apartment block was Russian
Putin questions if drone that struck Romanian apartment block was Russian
Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned if the drone that crashed into an apartment block in Romania was from Russia, suggesting instead that it could have been a Ukrainian drone.
"Who in Romania says that this is a Russian drone?" Putin asked reporters at a news conference in Astana, Kazakhstan. He said he had only just heard of the incident as he had been in talks all day. "No one can say what the origin of this or that drone is until an examination has been carried out," he said.
Putin said that Ukrainian drones had previously been spotted in Finland, Poland and in the Baltic countries.
"The first reaction was exactly the same as it is now in Romania: The Russians are coming," Putin said. "Then, after a short time, it turned out that it had nothing to do with Russian drones."
Putin suggested that the drone wreckage be handed over to Russia so that Moscow can conduct its own independent investigation.
Ukraine confirms it struck gas terminal in Russia's Temryuk port
Kyiv's security service confirmed that Ukraine struck a gas terminal in Russia's southern port of Temryuk.
It said on Telegram that a gas pipeline on the pier and several buildings caught fire. Russian local authorities reported that the flames had been extinguished.
Fire put out at southern Russian port after Ukrainian drone attack, authorities say
A fire at the southern Russian port of Temryuk sparked by a Ukrainian drone strike has been extinguished, regional authorities in the Krasnodar region said.
Russia says no evidence has been provided for claims about Russian drones in EU, RIA reports
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has alleged that all the accusations about Russian drones flying in Europe were unsubstantiated, saying that no evidence had been provided, RIA news agency reported.
"All the accusations that we hear, in particular about drones somewhere in the countries of the European Union, they are all unsubstantiated, not a single fact, material, piece of evidence has been presented," Zakharova said, RIA reported.
Austrian foreign minister summons Russian ambassador
Austria's foreign minister said she had summoned the Russian ambassador in Vienna "to clearly express Austria's protest against Russia's escalation".
"Europe will not be intimidated," Beate Meinl-Reisinger wrote on X.
Russia preparing response to Romania expelling consul over drone crash
Russia is preparing a response to Romania's move to eject a Russian diplomat over a drone crash in the Romanian city of Galati, Russia's Foreign Ministry said.
Romania blamed Russia for the crash, which sparked a fire and injured two people, according to officials.
"Retaliatory measures in response to the declaration of the Russian Consul General as persona non grata and the closure of the Consulate General will not be long in coming," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the state RIA news agency, describing the Western reaction to the drone crash as a "fuss".
'No regard for civilian life, international law, or sovereignty of its neighbours', Starmer says
"Last night a Russian drone entered Romanian airspace and hit a residential building, injuring civilians. Time and again, Russia has shown it has no regard for civilian life, international law, or sovereignty of its neighbours", said UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. "We stand with Ukraine, Romania and all NATO allies," he added.
Drone crash in Romania shows Russia threat to 'entire Europe', Ukraine FM says
Ukraine's foreign minister said that the drone crash showed Moscow posed a threat to all of Europe.
"The recent incursion of a Russian drone into the Romanian airspace and its explosion... proved once again that Russian aggression poses a real threat to the Black Sea region and the entire Europe," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said in a post on X.
🎥 Russian drone launched against Ukraine crashes in Romania
Zelensky says Russia is preparing major new attack on Ukraine
Russia is preparing a major new attack on Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday, citing intelligence data.
Russia said on Monday it intended to launch "systematic strikes" on targets in Kyiv and warned foreigners and diplomats
to leave.
In a Telegram post, Zelensky called for further sanctions on Russia and said the implementation of agreements with partners on air defence must not be delayed.
Ukraine says it struck Russian oil refinery, pumping station
Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery in the Volgograd region and an oil pumping station in the Yaroslavl region, Kyiv's general staff said.
The refinery stopped operations, and depots at the station caught fire, it added on the Telegram app.
Russia's Volgograd region governor reported fires at a chemical plant and energy facilities after a Ukrainian drone attack.
Romania to expel Russian consul after drone incident
Romania will expel the Russian consul in the southeastern city of Constanta and shut down the consulate, Romanian President Nicusor Dan said.
He also said that until Romania upgrades its air defences, it has agreements with NATO allies for some equipment to be relocated to the country.
Ukraine ready to support Romania 'in whatever way necessary', Zelensky says
Ukraine will support Romania "in whatever way is necessary", said President Volodymyr Zelensky, adding that it was "necessary to step up pressure on Russia".
"We count on the European Union's new sanctions measures against Russia to be truly strong and to make Russia feel that its strikes mean significant losses for Russia itself," Zelensky said on X.
"Last night, the Russians carried out a deliberate strike on our southern region – Odesa region, which borders Romania. This was yet another cynical attack on civilian infrastructure in our cities and in our waters, targeting civilian container ships," he noted.
Germany stands with NATO allies, ready to defend 'every inch of Allied territory', Merz says
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has condemned Russia's "reckless" drone attack on Romania, saying that it showed Moscow's willingness to escalate.
Germany "stands with (its) NATO allies," Merz said in a post on X.
"The incident once again underscores the need for strong NATO posture on the Eastern flank. We are ready to defend every inch of Allied territory," he added.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
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