Trump attacks Europe on migration, Russian energy purchases and climate policies – as it happened

The Danish closed doors briefing on the Copenhagen drone incident (15:58) is now reportedly over, with first participants leaving the meeting.

But lawmaker Pelle Dragsted told TV2 and DR it was still not clear who was behind the incident.

in Brussels

In other news, a European parliament committee has voted to preserve the immunity of the Italian anti-fascist campaigning MEP Ilaria Salis, rejecting a request from the Hungarian government.

The European parliament’s legal affairs committee was reported by Salis and her allies to have rejected the immunity request, which was put to a secret vote on Tuesday.

European parliament sources said the committee also voted down a separate request from the Hungarian government to lift the immunity of the Hungarian centre-right MEP Péter Magyar, the main challenger to prime minister Viktor Orbán in next year’s parliamentary elections.

Magyar, who founded the Tisza party, is accused by Hungarian authorities of defamation and throwing a man’s phone into the Danube river, in charges that are widely seen as politically motivated.

MEPs will have the final say on the fate of the two MEPs next month, when their cases, alongside several others, will be voted on in the European parliament plenary chamber on 6 October.

In most cases, the parliament follows the decision of the lead committee. Parliamentary immunity is intended to ensure MEPs can carry out their work “without exposure to arbitrary political persecution”, meaning they cannot be subject to any form of legal proceedings or detention because of opinions expressed or their work as MEPs.

Salis had been held in pre-trial detention in Hungary for nearly one year on charges of assault and membership of an extreme left-wing organisation, related to her participation in a counter demonstration against a neo-Nazi rally in Budapest in February 2023. She denies the charges, which she says could result in a 24-year old jail sentence in Hungary. She was released after being elected as an MEP in June 2024, but has said she is ready to stand trial in Italy, but does not believe she would get a fair trial in Hungary.

In a statement on Tuesday Salis said the vote by the European parliament’s legal affairs committee had been “an important and positive signal” and she expected all MEPs to uphold this decision when the issue goes to the full parliament in October.

She said:

“I reiterate: defending my immunity does not mean evading justice, but protecting myself from the political persecution of Orbán’s regime. This is why its protection is essential.

Italian authorities remain free to open judicial proceedings against me, as I myself both hope for and strongly call for.”

Márton Hajdu, the head of cabinet for the Tisza delegation in the European parliament, declined to comment on Tuesday’s secret vote, noting the report on Magyar’s immunity was not public. “The accusations and cases are obviously politically fabricated” and Magyar would “fully respect the parliament’s decision” Hajdu said.

in New York

Donald Trump took the stage at the United Nations general assembly hall for the first time in six years to launch a full-on assault on the experiment in world government, which he described as a feckless, corrupt and pernicious global force that should be replaced by his own leadership instead.

Speaking on the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, Trump called for countries to close their borders and expel foreigners, acccused the UN of leading a “globalist migration agenda”, and told national leaders that the world body was “funding an assault on your countries.”

“It’s time to end the failed experiment of open borders,” he said in a headline speech to world leaders and visiting delegations in the grand general assembly hall in midtown Manhattan. “You have to end it now… Your countries are going to hell.”

Directly addressing European leaders, he accused them of “destroying your heritage” and of allowing international migration because of misplaced “political correctness”.

“Your countries are being ruined,” he also said, pointing to UN programs that he said provide food, shelter and debit cards to fund migrant journeys to the United States. “The UN is funding an assault on Western countries”.

He repeated an offer to levy heavy tariffs on Russia in order to end its invasion of Ukraine, but said that European countries would first have to cease buying Russian energy products.

So, here is a summary of Donald Trump’s blistering UN general assembly speech in which he attacked European nations telling them “your countries are going to hell” because of migration and green policies and told allies to drop Russian energy imports immediately or otherwise “we are all wasting a lot of time.”

Here are some of the key moments from his speech:

• Trump appeared to taunt Russia for being unable to make progress in its war against Ukraine, saying it was “supposed to be just a quick little skirmish,” but “it’s making them look bad” as “they have been fighting for three years” (16:30).

• He urged European leaders to “immediately cease all energy purchases from Russia” as he said otherwise “we are all wasting a lot of time,” as they were “funding the war against themselves” (16:35).

• Repeatedly attacking European approach to migration, Trump said the continent was in “serious trouble” as he perpetuated a far-right line that it was being “invaded by a force of illegal aliens.” “It’s time to end the failed experiment of open borders,” he declared as he warned leaders “your countries are going to hell,” particularly picking up on London with a completely false claim about sharia law (16:38, 16:42, 16:45).

• He also criticised Europe’s green policies, calling climate change “the greatest con job ever perpetuated on the world” and a “green scam”, warning Europeans that “this double-tailed monster” of climate change policies and immigration “destroys everything in its wake” (16:52).

• He further attributed the rise of heat deaths in Europe, caused by human-made global warming, to high electricity prices, blaming “the global warming hoax” (17:02).

Trump once again turns on Europe as he rages about electricity costs in Europe as it’s “so expensive you can’t turn on an air conditioner” which he says leads to excessive deaths caused by heat.

(Erm, it’s slightly more complicated …)

He says:

“What is that all about? That’s not Europe. That’s not the Europe that I love and know.

All in the name of pretending to stop the global warming hoax, the entire globalist concept of asking successful industrialised nations to inflict pain on themselves and radically disrupt their entire societies must be rejected completely and totally, and it must be immediate.”

Talking about energy, Trump also mentions the North Sea, a “tremendous asset for the United Kingdom,” as he says “they have tremendous oil left” there and urges the UK to drop green policies to stop “ruining that beautiful Scottish and English countryside with windmills and massive solar panels that go seven miles by seven miles, taking away farmland.”

“We are not letting this happen in America,” he says.

He then says that climate change is “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.”

“If you don’t get away from this green scam, your country is going to fail,” he says.

He then returns to migration, as he adds:

“And if you don’t stop people that you’ve never seen before, that you have nothing in common with your country is going to fail.”

Trump says he “loves Europe,” but warns that “this double-tailed monster” of climate change and immigration “destroys everything in its wake.”

“You’re doing it because you want to be nice, you want to be politically correct, and you’re destroying your heritage, they must take control strongly,” he says.

(Taking control, you say? I’ve heard that before somewhere.)

Oooph.

Trump has now moved on to humanitarian aid and drugs, but I think it’s safe to say that his comments on Europe will cause major controversy and prompt reactions from the countries he namechecked.

It’s also likely to be seen as an indirect, but very strong, endorsement of ethnonationalist far-right parties across the continent.

Continuing his discussion of immigration, Trump says that “proud nations must be allowed to protect their communities and prevent their societies from being overwhelmed by people they have never seen before, with different customs, religions, with different everything.”

He specifically makes a claim that “migrants have violated laws, false asylum claims or claimed refugee status for illegitimate reasons.”

“They should, in many cases, be immediately sent home,” he says.

He insists that “we have to solve the problem, and we have to solve it in their countries, not create problems in our countries.”

He says that a high percentage of inmates in Austrian, German, Greek, and Swiss prisons were foreign nationals, as he says – in the Swiss context – that “so-called asylum seekers … repaid kidness with crime.”

“It’s time to end the failed experiment of open borders. You have to end it now. See I can tell you, I’m really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell.”

Trump now turns to Europe.

He says that “Europe is in serious trouble” and falsely claims it has been “invaded by a force of illegal aliens like nobody’s ever seen before.”

“Nobody’s doing anything to change it, to get them out,” he says.

But he says European countries “choose to be politically correct, they are doing just absolutely nothing about it.”

He then picks up on London in particular, attacking the capital’s mayor Sadiq Khan – “a terrible mayor, terrible, terrible mayor” – and saying the city “has so changed, so changed” as he makes a false claim that “they want to go to sharia law.”

He says “immigration and their suicidal energy ideas will be death of western Europe” and “this cannot be sustained.”

Trump is also really angry about European countries buying oil and gas from Russia, calling it “embarrassing” and demanding that European countries “immediately cease all energy purchases from Russia” or “otherwise we are all wasting a lot of time.”

He says:

“But inexcusably, even Nato countries have not cut off much Russian energy and Russian energy products, which, as you know, I found out about two weeks ago, and I wasn’t happy. Think of it, they’re funding the war against themselves.”

He warns that the US is “fully prepared to impose a very strong round of powerful tariffs, which would stop the bloodshed, I believe, very quickly” if Russia doesn’t engage with talks.

But adds:

“But for those tariffs to be effective, European nations, all of you are gathered here right now, would have to join us in adopting the exact same measures. …

You’re right there, and Europe has to step it up. They can’t be doing that, they’re buying from Russia, while they are fighting Russia.

It’s embarrasing to them, and it was very embarrassing to them when I found out about it. I can tell you that they have to immediately cease all energy purchases from Russia, otherwise, we’re all wasting a lot of time.

We’re going to discuss it today with the European nations all gathered here.”

He adds he is “sure they are thrilled to hear me speak about it, but that’s the way it is.”

On Russian invasion of Ukraine, Trump says:

“I’ve also been working relentlessly stopping the killing in Ukraine. I thought that would be of the seven wars that I stopped. I thought that would be the easiest because of my relationship with President Putin, which had always been a good one. I thought that was going to be the easiest one.

But you know, in war, you never know what’s going to happen. There are always lots of surprises, both good and bad.

Everyone thought Russia would win this war in three days, but it didn’t work out that way. It was supposed to be just a quick little skirmish.

It’s not making Russia look good. It’s making them look bad, no matter what happens from here on out, this was something that should have taken a matter of days, certainly less than a week, and they’ve been fighting for three years…”

Most of Trump’s speech is just him bragging about his track record in the government as he repeats his claim that he ended seven wars since coming to the office.

He directly criticises the UN, as he says:

“It’s too bad that I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them, and sadly, in all cases, the United Nations did not even try to help in any of them.

I ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of each and every one of these countries, and never even received a phone call from the United Nations offering to help in finalising the deal.”

He then mocks the UN for a non-functioning escalator and its prompter that doesn’t work.

“This is these are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter.”

He asks “what is the purpose of the United Nations,” as he lauds its “tremendous, tremendous potential,” but warns that “it’s not even coming close to living up to that potential.”

“All they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter up. It’s empty words, and empty words don’t solve war,” he says.

He then talks about his historic plans to renovate this building, but laments that we wasn’t picked for the project, which he calls “corrupt.”

When he finally gets to substance, he starts with turning on Iran, which he says “can never be allowed to possess the most dangerous weapon.”

Let’s see if he gets to discuss Russia or Ukraine at some point.

US president Donald Trump is now speaking at the UN general assembly.

I will bring you any big news lines on Europe (Russia? Ukraine?) here, with more available on our US blog here.

Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre told Dagbladet after his call with Frederiksen that there could be a link between the drone incidents in both countries, without offering further information.

“It is deeply regrettable and disturbing. I have just spoken with my Danish colleague Mette Fredriksen. This also happened in Copenhagen. So there is reason to believe that there may be some connection,” he said, as per Dagbladet.

He also called for further Nato discussions on strengthening the alliance and its ability to tackle drones.

Reminder: earlier today, Støre revealed that Russia violated Norwegian airspace three times in the last few months (12:44).

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen also spoke with her Norwegian and Swedish counterparts, as part of a broader diplomatic engagement this afternoon which also involved calls with EU and Nato leaders, her office said.

She said:

“At the moment, we are witnessing a disturbing shift.

Russian airspace violations. Unwanted drone activity in several European countries.

Last night was an unmistakable reminder of the time we live in. That we need to protect our peace and security.”

Meanwhile, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said in a social media update that she spoke with the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, about last night’s disruption at Copenhagen airport.

She said:

“While the facts are still being established, it is clear we are witnessing a pattern of persistent contestation at our borders.

Our critical infrastructure is at risk.

And Europe will respond to this threat with strength & determination.”

Meanwhile, over in the US, the Secret Service said on Tuesday that it had uncovered and dismantled a covert, hi-tech operation in the New York area, which had the capability to disrupt cellular networks.

The discovery came as international leaders were preparing to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly nearby, the New York Times reported.

Authorities revealed that the hidden communications system included over 100,000 SIM cards and 300 servers.

While the Secret Service hasn’t confirmed that the telecommunications threat was specifically targeting the United Nations general assembly, the agency said that the devices were “concentrated within 35 miles of the global meeting” and the investigation is ongoing.

US president Donald Trump is expected to address the General Assembly this afternoon.

More on our US live blog:

Meanwhile, border crossings between Poland and Belarus will be reopened on midnight from Wednesday to Thursday, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said as reported by Reuters.

Poland closed its border with Belarus this month as a result of Russia-led military exercises taking place in Belarus.

“The conclusion of these exercises reduces – although I can’t say eliminates – various threats, and taking into account the economic interests of Polish carriers and railways, we concluded that this measure has served its purpose,” Tusk told the government.

If you’re only joining us now, here’s our write up on what happened last night as Copenhagen airport had to close for several hours after reported drone sightings, by our Nordic correspondent Miranda Bryant.

The Danish prime minister has said the country was subjected to the “most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date” after a drone incursion shut Copenhagen airport for several hours.

Mette Frederiksen said authorities were still investigating who was behind the suspected hybrid attack, but she said she could not rule out Russia.

Danish police said two or three large drones that were seen on Monday night close to the airport, which is also the main airport for southern Sweden, appeared to have been flown by a “capable operator” who was looking to show that they had particular capabilities. No suspects have so far been identified.

The drones in Denmark came from multiple directions, turning their lights on and off for several hours before disappearing.

Oslo airport, Norway’s main aviation hub, was also forced to close for three hours after two drones were observed there.

Tens of thousands of passengers were left stranded in the Nordic region by the two incidents and flights had to be diverted. Authorities in Denmark and Norway are investigating whether the two sightings were related.

Rutte is also asked about Copenhagen, and says he just spoke with Danish PM Frederiksen, but refuses to say if there’s a link with Russia.

He says the incidents involved “three big drones” and “the Danes are at this moment exactly assessing what happened to make sure what is behind this.”

“We are in very close contact on this, so it is too early to say,” he says.

Rutte also gets asked if Nato is now prepared to shoot down Russian planes over Nato territory.

He says all decisions will be taken “in real time, based on available intelligence regarding the threat posed by the aircraft,” and says SACEUR Alexus G. Grynkewich has “the overall prerogative and responsibility” to respond.

Asked further about it, he says that in the case of the Russian incursion into Estonia it was assessed the jets posed “no immediate threat,” and so they were escorted out of Estonian airspace without a stronger reaction.

Nato’s Rutte is speaking now, and begins with comments along the lines of his earlier “strong” statement “of solidarity and resolve” issued by the North Atlantic Council (12:33).

He says they “affirmed yet again that our shared commitment to collective defence is unshakable.”

“We do not want to see a continuation of this dangerous pattern by Russia, intentional or not, but we stand ready and willing to continue to defend every inch of allied territory,” he says.

He is now turning to questions.

Nato secretary general Mark Rutte is about to start his press conference after this morning’s meeting on the Russian violation of Estonian airspace last week.

I think we can safely assume he will get asked about Denmark too.

You can watch it below, but I will bring you all the key lines here.

In a separate statement issued after Nato meeting earlier today, the Norwegian government has joined in condemnation of Russia’s violation of Estonian airspace last week.

But it also revealed that Russia has violated Norwegian airspace three times over spring and summer this year.

“The incidents in Norway are smaller in scope than the violations against Estonia, Poland and Romania, in terms of both location and duration. They are nevertheless incidents that we view very seriously,” Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre said.

He added that two incidents occurred over the sea northeast of Vardø in April and August, and the third over an uninhabited area along the land border in East Finnmark in July.

The border violations – involving fighter jets SU-24, SU-33 and L410 Turbolet aircraft – lasted between one and four minutes, he said, noting that Norway could not determine if they were deliberate or “due to navigation errors.”

“Regardless of the reason, this is not acceptable and we have made that clear to the Russian authorities,” Støre said.

Nato’s North Atlantic Council, which brings together all the allies, said it “strongly condemns” Russia’s “dangerous” violation of Estonian airspace last week.

In a strongly worded statement, it said the incursion was “part of a wider pattern of increasingly irresponsible Russian behaviour.”

“This is the second time in two weeks that the North Atlantic Council has met under Article 4,” it said, with the first meeting called after the large-scale violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones.

It added that “several other Allies – including Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Romania – have also recently experienced airspace violations by Russia.”

“Russia bears full responsibility for these actions, which are escalatory, risk miscalculation and endanger lives. They must stop.”

The alliance stressed that it would “reinforce our capabilities and strengthen our deterrence and defence posture, including through effective air defence.”

“Russia should be in no doubt: Nato and Allies will employ, in accordance with international law, all necessary military and non-military tools to defend ourselves and deter all threats from all directions. We will continue to respond in the manner, timing, and domain of our choosing. Our commitment to Article 5 is ironclad.”

The statement stressed that “allies will not be deterred by these and other irresponsible acts by Russia from their enduring commitments to support Ukraine, whose security contributes to ours, in the exercise of its inherent right to self-defence against Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war of aggression.”

Meanwhile, Russia denied that it was connected to the drone flights that forced Copenhagen airport to close its airspace for hours overnight, after Denmark’s prime minister said she could not rule out Russian involvement, AFP reported.

“We hear unfounded accusations from there every time. Perhaps a party that takes a serious, responsible position shouldn’t make such unfounded accusations time and again,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a daily briefing call.

EU defence spokesperson Thomas Regnier also added that Denmark has now joined a group of frontline countries expected to talk with EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius for talks about the EU’s “drone wall” this Friday.

Other countries involved are Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania.

Speaking at the daily press briefing, EU foreign policy spokesperson Anitta Hipper has just responded to the incidents in Denmark and Norway last night, saying the incidents fit a pattern of “reckless” Russian actions.

She said:

“We have seen the incident, and we’re in full solidarity with Denmark, but also with Norway … and we commend them already for for the swift action, so we still need to wait for the final outcome.

But what we have seen throughout the last weeks points out to Russia in terms of their reckless actions in at least three member states – first Poland, then Romania and most recently, Estonia.

What we have seen in terms of Russia is that they have not ‘accidentally’ violated the airspaces of EU member states, but this was an intentional violation of the European airspace and here we see a clear pattern.

Russia is testing the European borders also probing, our resolve and undermining our security.”

She later added:

“We still need to wait for the final outcome of investigation, so we will not prejudge this, but when we are putting the things in into context, while again, not prejudging the results of this investigation of the authorities, we have seen a clear pattern when it comes to launching drones violating our airspace, and this points out to Russia.”

Russia said that it shot down three dozen Ukrainian drones heading toward Moscow while Ukraine said that Russian missiles, drones and bombs killed at least two civilians on Tuesday, AP reported.

Russian aircraft dropped five glide bombs on the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia during the night, killing a man, regional head Ivan Fedorov said Tuesday.

In the Odesa region of southern Ukraine, Russian ballistic missiles struck the town center of Tatarbunary, killing a woman, regional head Oleh Kiper said Tuesday morning.

Overall, Russian forces launched three Iskander ballistic missiles and 115 strike and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian air force said.

Meanwhile over in Russia, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that more than 40 Ukrainian drones flying toward the Russian capital were shot down between Monday evening and midday Tuesday.

Flights were temporarily halted overnight in and out of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, causing delays and cancellations, because of the attack, AP noted.

Just a reminder that Nato is meeting this morning to discuss the Russian incursion into Estonian airspace last Friday.

We should hear from the alliance’s secretary general Mark Rutte around 11:45 BST (12:45 CEST).

Danish PM Frederiksen spoke briefly with reporters this morning.

Asked by DR if the incident could be linked to Russia, she struck a rather cautious tone, but said:

“I cannot rule out that it is Russia. We have seen drones over Poland that should not have been there. We have seen activity in Romania. We have seen violations of Estonian airspace. We have seen hacker attacks on European airports over the weekend.

Now there have been drones in Denmark, and it appears that there have been drones in Oslo and Norway as well.

Therefore, I can only say that, in my view, this is a serious attack on critical Danish infrastructure.”

In comments reported by DR, she added that the intent could have been “to disrupt and create unrest, concern; see how far you can do and test the limits.”

The Danish armed forces are understood to be involved in the investigation into last night’s drone disruption at Copenhagen Airport, Danish broadcaster TV2 reported.

Copenhagen police and Danish security and intelligence service, or PET, are now giving a press conference, reported by Danish media, with authorities warning that the reported incident amounted to “a very serious situation.”

Flemming Drejer, PET’s operational director, acknowledges that, given the international context, Denmark faces a hightened level of threat of sabotage. All possible options and links are being looked at, he says.

Anne Tønnes, director at Copenhagen Police, also highlights that the incident amounted to a serious violation of Danish law.

Danish media note that Tønnes repeatedly referenced the incident as “attack,” noting its impact on the country’s critical infrastructure.

This concludes the press conference, but there’s a suggestion this is not the last time we’ve heard from them today.

The airports in Copenhagen and Oslo, the two busiest in the Nordic region, were shut for hours last night after drones were observed in their airspace late on Monday, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded as flights were diverted, delayed and cancelled.

The Danish and Norwegian authorities are understood to be in contact in case the two incidents were linked, NRK reported.

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen told broadcaster TV2 in a written comment that the disruption at Copenhagen was “the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date.”

“It says something about the times we live in and what we as a society must be prepared to deal with,’ she said, adding the authorities were “not ruling out any options in relation who is behind this.”

She added:

“And it is clear that this fits in with the developments we have seen recently with other drone attacks, airspace violations and hacker attacks on European airports.”

Who could she possibly be thinking of?

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared to believe that Russia was behind the incident, raising it during a meeting with IMF managing director, Kristalina Georgieva.

The official readout on the president’s website said the pair “discussed Russia’s violations of the airspace of Nato member states, including … in Copenhagen.”

“The President emphasised that if there is no resolute response from the allies – both states and institutions – to these provocations, Russia will continue its aggressive actions, testing the societies of European and Nato countries,” it said.

We should hear from the Danish police shortly and get more updates throughout the day.

I will bring you all the key updates here.

It’s Tuesday, 23 September 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.