Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap!
Moldova’s pro-European ruling party held on to its parliamentary majority after Sunday’s pivotal election, strengthening the country of 2.4 million’s attempt to move towards the EU and away from Moscow (9:34, 14:10).
But obstacles to join the EU remain amid some scepticism among some member states, and Hungary’s Kremlin-friendly government refuses to open substantive negotiations with Ukraine, with the two accession processes informally linked together.
European leaders lined up to congratulate Moldova (9:40, 9:43, 9:57, 10:08, 12:31) ahead of in-person talks expected later this weeks in Copenhagen (11:20, xx:xx)
In other news,
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy celebrated the result in Moldova, saying Russia “failed to destabilise” the country (10:35), and urging European leaders to step up their response as Moscow “is testing har far it can go” (10:40)
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk warned that the continent faced “a new type of war” amid growing threats from Russia (10:34), with Danish justice minister saying that hybrid incidents are becoming “part of our new reality” in Europe (15:03).
Former MI5 chief Eliza Manningham-Buller also warned that Britain may already be at war with Russia because of the depth and intensity of cyber-attacks, sabotage and other hostile activity orchestrated by Moscow against the UK (15:32).
Another Nato country, Romania, reported founding “new drone fragments” near its border with Ukraine, with further investigation under way (14:28).
Russian president Vladimir Putin on Monday called up 135,000 men for routine military service, the country’s biggest autumn conscription drive since 2016 (15:45).
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
German man finds €15m winning ticket in coat six months after winning lotto lottery
And for something a bit more optimistic, let me bring you this story from Frankfurt, Germany, about a German man who has won €15.3m in the lottery after discovering a forgotten ticket in his coat pocket six months after he bought it, reported by AFP.
The father from the Frankfurt area had remained oblivious to his winnings all spring and summer despite a poster campaign to find him, the Lotto Hessen company said.
The man had even heard about the campaign to find the lucky winner.
“I heard about it on the radio at the time and thought to myself, ’How stupid can you be not to collect it?’”, he said. “It never occurred to me that I could be the person they were looking for.”
With the weather turning chilly in Germany, the man reached for a jacket he had not worn since March – to discover the ticket in his pocket.
“When I checked the numbers on my phone and saw the winning amount, I was completely shocked – luckily I was sitting down, otherwise my knees would have given way.”
The man plans to spend his winnings on, erm, a new living room sofa.
The pro-European party won Moldova’s election but obstacles to join the EU remain - analysis
in Brussels
In the end, the results were better than Moldova’s western allies had dared hope. In Sunday’s parliamentary elections, the pro-EU party of president Maia Sandu won a convincing victory, confirming the westward path of this former Soviet republic of 2.4 million people.
For Sandu, a former World Bank official who was re-elected Moldova’s president in 2024, it is an emphatic victory. With a secure parliamentary majority, rather than the divided coalition many pollsters had predicted, it should be easier to push through the demanding political and economic reforms required to join the union.
It was an equally important result for the EU, which has invested political capital in Moldova. The European Commission has pledged €1.9bn (£1.7bn) in grants and cheap loans to Moldova to build infrastructure, such as roads, hospitals and internet cables to boost the economy and speed its arrival into the European single market. Last month, the leaders of Germany, France and Poland made a high-profile joint visit to Moldova on the anniversary of its independence to express solidarity.
But sighs of relief are tempered by understanding that this is only one chapter in a long story. “The fight is not over,” Moldova’s former prime minister Natalia Gavrilița told a security conference in Warsaw on Monday. “Of course, we are very determined to carry out the reforms with all the challenges and capacity constraints and so on,” she said.
Moldova is pressing ahead with the ambitious goal of joining the EU by 2030. It is a high bar. During the past 18 years the EU has admitted only one country, Croatia, amid widespread mistrust of the enlargement process in western Europe, especially France, Denmark and the Netherlands.
Environmental damage is putting European way of life at risk, says report
Europe environment correspondent
The European way of life is being jeopardised by environmental degradation, a report has found, with EU officials warning against weakening green rules.
The continent has made “important progress” in cutting planet-heating pollution, according to the European Environment Agency, but the death of wildlife and breakdown of the climate are ruining ecosystems that underpin the economy.
“We are struggling to meet our 2030 targets in many areas,” said Leena Ylä-Mononen, the executive director of the agency. “This is, basically, putting at risk the future prosperity, competitiveness and quality of life of Europeans.”
The warning comes amid a rollback of green rules as far-right parties that deny the science of climate change gain ground across the continent. The US has also put pressure on EU leaders to buy its fossil fuels and ditch pollution standards that affect imported goods.
The report paints the most comprehensive picture yet of Europe’s environment, though lengthy verification processes mean the most recent data for some issues dates as far back as 2021. It found only two of 22 specific policy targets for 2030 – greenhouse gas emissions and ozone-depleting substances – were “largely on track”. Nine were “largely not on track”, with the rest showing a mixed trend.
Sleeper train revival hit by French subsidies cut
In other news, Europe’s sleeper train revival was dealt a setback as operators said services linking Paris with Vienna and Berlin will end 14 December after France cut vital subsidies, AFP reported
The Paris-Vienna and Paris-Berlin routes had been relaunched in 2021 and 2023 to fanfare as part of a wider effort to bring back night trains as a lower-emission alternative to short-haul flights.
They attracted steady demand, averaging 70 percent occupancy this year, according to French state rail firm SNCF, which operated the routes with Austria’s ÖBB and Germany’s Deutsche Bahn.
But it was an expensive endeavour: unlike daytime trains, in which a seat can be resold to several passengers along a multi-stop route, a sleeper berth generates revenue from only one traveller per journey.
Higher staffing requirements and locomotive changes at border crossings further raised expenses.
The end of the line for the service was the termination of an annual French subsidy of about €10m ($11.7m).
The service is “not economically viable without state subsidies”, SNCF said in a statement.
Operating night trains is indeed a huge economic challenge.
ÖBB said in a statement that its French partner SNCF had been informed by the French transport ministry that “government service orders for the operation of (both) night trains... will be discontinued in 2026”.
Denmark buying, leasing additional anti-drone equipment to protect EU summits this week
Nordic correspondent
Denmark is buying and leasing anti-drone equipment from other countries ahead of this week’s EU summits.
The Danish defence minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, said:
“In addition to working closely with our allies (15:03), the Ministry of Defence’s Material and Procurement Agency has initiated the purchase and leasing of additional equipment, which will be delivered either today or shortly, so that it can strengthen our preparedness in general.”
Putin orders biggest autumn army call-up since 2016
Russian president Vladimir Putin on Monday called up 135,000 men for routine military service, the country’s biggest autumn conscription drive since 2016, AFP reported.
Russia calls up men aged between 18 and 30 for compulsory military service each spring and autumn.
AFP noted that Russia’s annual conscription campaigns are unrelated to mobilisation, in which Russian men are drafted to fight during wartime.
Conscripts are expected to serve for a year at a military base inside Russia, not to fight in Ukraine, although there have been reports of conscripted men being sent to the frontline.
This is the biggest autumn conscription drive since 2016, and, combined with the 160,000 called up in the spring, means 2025 is set to be the largest total call-up since that year too, AFP said.
Britain may already be at war with Russia, former head of MI5 says
Defence and security editor
Britain may already be at war with Russia because of the depth and intensity of cyber-attacks, sabotage and other hostile activity orchestrated by Moscow against the UK, according to a former head of MI5.
Eliza Manningham-Buller, who led the domestic spy agency two decades ago, said she agreed with comments made by the Russia expert Fiona Hill, who argued in a Guardian interview earlier this year that Moscow was at war with the west.
Lady Manningham-Buller argued that the situation had changed “since the invasion of Ukraine and the various things I read about that the Russians have been doing here – sabotage, intelligence collection, attacking people and so on”.
Speaking on a podcast in which she was interviewed by the lord speaker, John McFall, she then referenced Hill, who advised Donald Trump during his first term as US president and co-authored the UK’s strategic defence review.
“I think she may be right in saying we’re already at war with Russia. It’s a different sort of war, but the hostility, the cyber-attacks, the physical attacks, the intelligence work is extensive,” she said.
Hybrid attacks 'part of our new reality' like terrorism after 9/11, Danish justice minister warns
Nordic correspondent
Denmark’s justice minister has compared the recent spate of hybrid attacks on Europe to 11 September 2001, saying that they have “become part of our new reality”.
Peter Hummelgaard told a press conference:
Just as the terrorist threat became part of our reality after 11 September, hybrid attacks have become part of our new reality.
He added: “We are in a new reality in Denmark and in other countries, and we will find ourselves in such a situation again. This is what hybrid warfare is like.”
It comes as countries including Denmark’s close Sweden pledged assistance in defending from drones.
The Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, who is also holding a press conference at the same time as the Danish one, said: “Knowingly or unknowingly, drone attacks are affecting Denmark’s ability to hold the EU summit on Wednesday.”
Kristersson also said that alleged hybrid attacks on Poland, Estonia and Denmark could “just as likely have happened in Sweden, and could happen in Sweden.”
The Swedish foreign minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, said the region now faced a “very serious security situation”, meaning it was vital to have “close relations with our neighbours”.
Sweden has sent anti-drone equipment to Denmark. Swedish and Norwegian police will also work with Danish police during the summit.
Denmark’s minister of emergency situations, Torsten Schack Pedersen, said that a bill is on its way to the Danish parliament, Folketing, relating to neutralisation of drones.
Updated
Russia exits European anti-torture convention
Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed a law denouncing the European convention for the prevention of torture, according to a government website.
Russia’s parliament previously voted to leave the treaty, which Moscow ratified in 1998.
According to the legislation passed by parliament, Russia’s denunciation was in response to the Council of Europe refusing to seat a Russian representative on a committee that oversees the anti-torture convention
Romania recovers new drone fragments near border with Ukraine, minister says
Romania has found new drone fragments in its eastern county of Tulcea, which neighbours Ukraine, defence minister Ionut Mosteanu said.
Defence ministry experts have collected the drone parts, Reuters reports, for further investigation.
Moldova result 'victory for the country, not one party,' president Sandu says
Meanwhile over in Chișinău, Moldova’s capital city, we have now heard from the country’s president, Maia Sandu, after the pro-European forces triumphed in yesterday’s parliamentary election.
“The election results are a victory for the country, not for one party,” Sandu told a news conference.
“I’m glad that our path to the EU is guaranteed … I really wanted Moldovans to decide for Moldova. I want Moldova to be a free and democratic country,” she said.
China 'only country that could actually force a ceasefire' in Ukraine on Russia, Poland's Sikorski says
Asked about China’s role in the conflict, Poland’s Sikorski says he heard from his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that China “strongly supports a ceasefire.”
“But, of course, to say it is not enough, we would need to see pressure on Russia for the ceasefire to happen, and I personally believe that China is the only country that could actually force a ceasefire in this war.”
“In January 2022, before the full-scale invasion, there was a Russian military foray into Kazakhstan to interfere in internal politics, and I believe Beijing told Russia to get out, or else they will stop trading with Russia. … And Russia did get out,” he explained.
He added:
“I think Russia is now so dependent on China that it is a very powerful lever that China has, and the question of course is whether they would use it.”
And that ends the ministerial panel discussion at the Warsaw Security Forum.
No effective security infrastructure in Europe without US backstop, Ukraine's foreign minister says
Ukraine’s Sybiha says that four years into the full-scale war, Russia “did not achieve any strategic goal in Ukraine,” and Europe needs to send a clear signal that it “never will.”
“We have unity, our closest allies, and we have strength behind us. So, combining all this all these elements, we do really have a chance to speed up our peace efforts,” he says, but adds the key element is also to “prevent future aggression or escalation.”
“I do not believe in any effective security infrastructure in Europe without American backstop. We need the engagement of the US friends,” he says.
He also says that a future EU membership would also provide an additional security guarantee for Ukraine.
“I urge our European closest friends, to find proper formula, how we could proceed and how we could open, in the nearest future, [negotiating] clusters,” he says, stressing the need to “overcome” the Hungarian opposition.
Asked about the status of the Coalition of the Willing, France’s Barrot says it is “ready” and claims it is “one of the most important pieces of work in terms of security for Europe of the past decades, perhaps since Nato got toether.”
He says the coalition has “huge value for Ukraine and way beyond,” as makes it clear that “even when Nato cannot provide a solution to a security question, … we stand ready to take our own security” in our hands.
Asked about his warning to Russia that Poland stood ready to shoot down any planes violating its airspace, Poland’s Sikorski gives a lengthy answer, but ends on a clear message:
“Imagine Cuban MiGs over Florida, flying over Mar-a-Lago, and you have a good picture of what Donald Trump … I’m sure what he would do.”
Russia 'involved in hybrid war with transatlantic community,' Ukraine's Sybiha warns
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha strikes a more urgent tone, as he says “he should forget about wishful thinking” and acknowledge that “Russia is [involved] in hybrid war with transatlantic community.”
“So we need appropriate actions,” he says, “to raise the price of further aggressions for Russians,” including personally for Vladimir Putin.
He says the next round of sanctions needs to be coordinated and implemented together with the US.
He dismisses Putin’s suggestion of peace talks with Ukraine in Moscow as “not acceptable and not serious.”
But he praises recent talks between Ukraine’s Zelenskyy and US president Trump, saying it was a “really good conversation.”
But he warns that Putin, emboldened by a sense of coming out from international isolation, will keep provoking Europe, “so we should expect further escalation.”
Russia 'making one mistake after another,' Germany's Wadephul says as he says its airspace violations push people to rally around allied response
German finance minister Johann Wadephul picks up a similar theme, as he agrees that “Russia is failing, making one mistake after another.”
He says that Russia has for years been active in less visible ways, but claims that all parties – even the far-right AfD – see the recent incidents as indefensible violation of sovereignty, and resulted in people rallying behind a united response.
"So we are at a very decisive moment, but … [there are] also lots of changes for us if we stick together as we do now,” he says.
'Something is changing,' France's Barrot says, as Europeans realise 'Russia ... is failing'
French minister Jean-Noël Barrot says that recent discussions between European leaders show that “something is changing in the spirit of Europeans.”
“Russia, everyone sees it, is failing militarily, economically, politically,” he says, adding that for the last three years Russia “hasn’t made any progress on the frontline” and it’s economy is “collapsing.”
He also says that France’s response to the drone incursion into Poland was a clear show of support and solidarity.
Russian drone incursion meant to 'test us without actually causing war,' Poland's Sikorski says
French, German, Polish and Ukrainian foreign ministers are now speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum, after their earlier talks today behind closed doors.
Poland’s Radosław Sikorski opens by saying why he thinks the recent Russian drone incursions into Poland were “deliberate on Russia’s part.”
He reveals that “the drones originated in a single place, distinct from the ones that went towards Ukraine,” and that “the mix of drones was different,” as all of them were unarmed, but “with extra fuel tanks instead of warheads.”
“The intention seemed [to be to] test us without actually causing a war,” he says.
He praises the allied response to the incident.
“I think the Russians made another mistake [as] they thought they would divide us, … that we would react with timidity and demands for weakening our support for Ukraine, but the opposite has happened,” he says.
The commission also reiterates that it supports the opening of cluster one talks with Ukraine and Moldova “without any further delay,” while noting the decision is for the member states to make (and we know that Hungary continues to oppose it).
'Democracy and the will of Moldovan people won,' EU says as it welcomes pro-European vote in elections
We’ve also got an official EU line on the Moldovan elections, with the foreign policy spokesperson Guillaume Mercier saying:
“Democracy and the will of the Moldovan people won. Moldova has made it clear choice for freedom, democracy and Europe, despite all the Russian interference and the money Russia spent trying to buy votes, intimidate and spread lies.
We are impressed by the resilience of the Moldovan people and their determination to keep the country on the right track towards democracy and prosperity. The EU looks forward to working with the new parliament, and the incoming government, and we will continue supporting Moldova’s strategic objective towards EU accession as anchored in the constitution. The EU remains a committed and reliable partner for the Moldovans and for Moldova.”
The commission also pointed reporters to commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s social media statement earlier today (10:08).
Updated
At the European Commission’s midday briefing taking place now, the EU’s defence spokesperson Thomas Regnier summed up last Friday’s meeting on the EU’s proposed “drone wall” as “a productive initial exchange,” saying that “next steps … need to be discussed with other member states in a broader format.”
But he uses very careful language on shooting down anything that violates the “drone wall,” as he says it’s the member states who will remain responsible for these decisions.
Every day struggle to push against people who'd 'rather go under blanket and wait' to realise what's going on, Germany's Pistorius says
In another stark comment, Pistorius says that we need to push for “a change of mindset” against “people who are afraid of what’s going on and they’d rather go under the blanket and wait.”
“So it’s about explaining every day [our actions], about supporting Ukraine and facing the threat, making clear to ourselves it is about defending our way of living,” he says.
EU’s Kubilius also concedes that “for the time being, our capabilities to detect drones is quite limited.”
He says the EU countries have “good capabilities” on jets and “maybe missiles,” but not on drones, particularly if they are flying “really low.”
He says that’s why the EU needs to move ahead with its drone wall project, with special radars and sensors to respond to this issue.
He says there are perhaps legitimate questions as to why Europe failed to anticipate these problems and develop such infrastructure in time to be able to better respond to latest incidents.
“That’s perhaps quite natural, psychologically, when you’re not hit by the crisis,” he says, but adds he hopes to be able to move faster now.
But Germany’s Pistorius says that there is need for “expectation management” there, as the drone wall won’t be fully realised within the next few years.
“I think we need more capabilities … and that means drone defence,” but not only through “a drone wall,” but also “quicker in development” and procurement of other solutions and weapons.
“This is from my perspective very crucial,” he says.
The ministers get asked by former UK minister Tobias Ellwood about whether European countries should “stand up to Putin” and develop a “no-fly zone” over parts of Europe to block any possible incursions.
Estonia’s Pevkur says “we should have done that in 2022,” but he also notes practical limitations and difficulties in shooting down all sorts of traffic, which he says “even the Ukrainians are not able to do that.”
“You cannot put a curtain up to 10 kilometres,” he says.
EU countries 'had enough time' to find alternative energy suppliers to Russia, EU defence commissioner says
EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius now gets asked about continuing energy imports from Russia (hello Hungary and Slovakia, in particular), much to the annoyance of US president Donald Trump.
He says that in his personal view “they had enough time to find alternative supplies, and perhaps they will do that,” but also warns about Russia’s shadow fleet “going through the Baltic Sea, causing a lot of troubles.”
He also suggests that Russia may have recently launched drones in Europe from ships at sea.
He says “Ukraine is able to bring the war back to Russian territories with deep strikes,” and suggests the EU “could support Ukrainian capabilities in that field much more.”
Curiously, Germany’s Pistorius says that the government in Berlin pushes for voluntary conscription and training of more people trained “just in case,” but concedes that “we have problems” with infrastructure.
He says more than 150 barracks were closed since 1990s, “so we don’t have the space for full-scale conscription.”
Dutch defence minister Ruben Brekelmans jokes that with the country’s parliamentary election set to take place next month, he doesn’t feel it’s a good moment to talk about hypothethical conscription in response to future conflicts.
But he says that there is “a broad majority in favour of having this growth path” for defence spending as agreed at Nato’s summit in the Hague earlier this year, which he insists is a major milestone for the alliance, even if “one of the key questions now in our election campaign is how to fund this.”
He says he is confident that a future coalition government will “find a path in order to fund that.”
European leaders rush to congratulate Moldova ahead of European summit in Copenhagen this week
in Brussels
Congratulations from European leaders are flooding in to Moldova, after the ruling pro-EU party won a convincing majority in parliamentary elections.
EU leaders will likely have a chance to address them personally to Moldova’s president Maia Sandu, who is expected to attend a European summit on Thursday.
Leaders from across the continents, barring Russia and Belarus, are invited to attend the European Political Community summit in Copenhagen on Thursday, which falls the day after an EU summit.
The EPC, the brainchild of French president Emmanuel Macron, functions as political speed dating for the leaders who attend, with multiple bilaterals and mini meetings taking place on the margins of the summit. It is likely many will want to meet Moldova’s leader to express their political support for the country’s European integration goals.
Updated
German defence minister Boris Pistorius concedes that as many countries in eastern and northern Europe “woke up” to the threat coming from Russia after its invaded Crimea in 2014, large parts of Europe “pushed the snooze button … and turned around to take another nap.”
“We are … late to explain to our population, our people, wiat is going on the eastern flank and in Russia,” he says.
Pressed on this, he acknowledges the rise of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland, but he insists there is still a clear majority in Germany for supporting Ukraine and increasing defence spending.
Dutch defence minister Ruben Brekelmans also stresses the unprecedented threat faced by Nato, as he says the recent Russian drone incursion in to Poland was in that sense “historic”.
He says there are lots of lessons to be learned about what are the most effective systems to counter drones so European countries don’t use their most expensive weapons to take out “cheap drones” and to react quicker.
EU’s defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius also warns that while it’s for Nato to decide whether it should shoot down any aircraft that violates its airspace, it is important to face the reality that “Russian provications or testing of European defence capabilities are increasing.”
He stresses the need to ramp up European infrastructure against drones, and he says there is a lot the bloc could learn from Ukraine; similar lines to what he said on Friday after the meeting on the so-called drone wall.
Estonian defence minister Hanno Pevkur is now speaking, as part of a broader panel of EU defence ministers.
He stresses how “unprecedented” the Russian incursion into Estonian airspace was, even as he stresses it wasn’t a surprise.
“They knew perfectly where they are. They knew perfectly that they are in Nato’s airspace, and they didn’t do anything to leave voluntarily,” he says.
He outright says that Russia “lied” when it denied its involvement at the UN security council meeting.
'No doubt' Putin doesn't want to end war, and Europeans must ensure Ukraine remains strong, Germany's Pistorius says
Pistorius also warns that continued talks about peace deals remains mostly “wishful thinking,” as “diplomatic efforts fail to bring about any meaningful breakthrough” in the war.
He says that “all of this leaves no doubt … [that] Vladimir Putin does not want a ceasefire and does not want peace for Ukraine.”
“So today, we must focus on empowering Ukraine and bolstering its defence,” he says.
“Our goal is to see Ukraine enter into meaningful negotiations to achieve lasting peace, and for that, Ukraine must be strong. This is our responsibility as Europeans.
This is a task of our time.”
He also says:
“We must and we will do more for defence in Europe. Nato must become more European in order to remain transatlantic. This is what it takes for our continent to be whole, free and at peace.”
Updated
'We will not be lured into Putin's trap of continous escalation,' Germany's defence minister says
German foreign minister Boris Pistorius is speaking next at the Warsaw Security Forum, where he warns that Russia’s Vladimir Putin “seeks to provoke Nato member states.”
“He won’t succeed. The alliance has responded to Russia’s provocations with clarity, unity, resolve and prudence. We will not be lured into Putin’s trap of continuous escalation,” he says.
Updated
'Russia wants Nato to react ... without the US,' Zelenskyy says in call for unity
Zelenskyy also gets asked by BBC’s Kasia Madera about his suggestions that Russia could attack another European country.
He says:
“Well, it’s difficult to say. You saw that with Estonia, Poland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, there were certain signals.”
He says there’s a bigger trend on display, with repeated violations of airspace and borders.
“This must get a reaction,” he says, as he warns about a “theoretical Russian aggression.”
He says that Russia wants Nato “to react but only partially, without the US, so a united voice is desirable here.”
He also stresses the need to “protect former USSR countries as well as the countries where Russia is losing its clout,” as he pointedly names Kazakhstan.
“I cannot say what’s there on Putin’s mind, which is why I’m saying that we must be prepared to defend ourselves and to look where Putin could go.”
That ends his speech.
Asked about US president Trump’s position on Ukraine, Zelenskyy says “the stance of president Trump is truly balanced, and it supports Ukraine’s stance” as he pursues peace.
Commenting on Trump’s newly found seemingly hardline position towards Russia, he says:
“Our task today is to preserve the new attitude of the US towards this war and so that it corresponds to the attitude in Europe.”
'Russia will not be drawing new borders in Ukraine,' Zelenskyy says
Asked if he would be prepared to make territorial concessions to end the war, Zelenskyy repeats that Ukraine’s borders are defined by its constitution.
He signals some openness to “diplomatic” talks, but stresses “Russia will not be drawing new borders in Ukraine.”
In Q&A, Zelenskyy says the main weapon needed by Ukraine is “unity,” as he warns about attempts to divide Europe.
He adds that Ukraine needs more air defence systems and missiles to defend its skies, as he highlights the importance of Nato’s Purl initiative for Ukraine.
'Ukraine must join the EU and it will,' Zelenskyy says
Zelenskyy also speaks about the importance of Ukraine joining the EU in the foreseeable future, as he says “Ukraine must join the EU and it will.”
“We are doing everything required, and it is important that Ukraine’s accession is not delayed by the national politics of this or that countries,” he says in a heavy swipe at Hungary.
“This is not about what we have already gone through in history. It is about what we all must avoid, and what we must avoid is any dependence on Russia,” he says.
'Russia is testing how far it can go,' Zelenskyy says responding to recent Russian airspace violations
But Zelenskyy also warns about the worsening situation in Georgia and Belarus.
“That is why we cannot afford to lose a single day or a single country. After Moldova’s election, we must keep supporting Moldova. The hardest task is to meet voters’ expectations,” he says.
“Today in Europe, the focus is on immediate threats, and they are serious, but we must not forget the long term political goals,” he says.
He references recent Russian drone incursions into Poland and Russian jets violating Estonian airspace as he warns it was “a test not only for Poland, but for all of Nato.”
Zelenskyy also claims that Russia has used tanker ships in the Baltic Sea to “launch drones that caused major disruption in northern Europe,” as he says they “should not be free to operate in the Baltic.”
“This is de facto Russia’s military activity against European countries. So Europe has the right to close straits and sea roads to protect itself,” he says.
“Russia is testing how far it can go. It wants to shift attention away from the brutal war in countries against Ukraine,” he says.
Updated
Russia 'failed to destabilise Moldova' and its 'subversive influence' will not spread further, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks next at the Warsaw Security Forum.
He pays tribute to Moldova as he says “the idea of Europe won, the idea of normal and stable national development.”
“Russia’s subversive influence will not spread further into Europe,” he says.
Russia failed to destabilise Moldova, even after spending huge, huge resources to undermine it and to corrupt whoever they could.
Poland's Tusk soberly warns Europe faces 'a new type' of war
Speaking in Warsaw, Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk sets out the security challenges faced by Europe, as he says that “the biggest and most important task for our opinion leaders today is to make other people, … the entire western, transatlantic community, realise: this is war.”
“We didn’t want it, it’s sometimes strange, a war of new type, but it’s still a war.”
Speaking at the same event, French Europe minister Benjamin Haddad says that Moldovans “gave us a great lesson in democracy” despite attempted interference with the democratic process.
Asked on whether the French public would support EU enlargement, he says that “for a long time, there was a form of scepticism about enlargement in France,” but “there’s been a shift in the last few years,” as people realise that extending the bloc’s influence further to Ukraine, Moldova and western Balkans “is a geopolitical necessity.”
“I’m convinced that the pressure that we’re under from the war of aggression of Russia against Ukraine and the general threat that Russia is posing to European democracies, and the economic pressures that we’re feeling from everywhere, provide the sense of urgency” to accelerate European reforms and enlargement, Haddad says.
'Fight is not over, ... but today we celebrate,' former Moldovan prime minister says
Former Moldovan prime minister Natalia Gavrilița is speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum this morning.
Responding to last night’s election result, she says:
“We all need good news, and I’m very, very happy that my people delivered the good news and demonstrated resilience in the face of very aggressive hybrid attacks.
We [faced] massive disinformation campaigns, … corruption of voters, … very organised interference in the diaspora, … cyber-attacks so the entire host MD domain yesterday was closed because of that, and [yet] we have a clear result.”
She adds:
“Of course, the fight is not over. Of course, we are very determined to carry out the reforms with all the challenges and capacity constraints and so on. But today we celebrate.”
She warns that Moldova “has long been a testing ground for hybrid war attacks” tested and later applied elsewhere.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has also congratulated Moldova’s pro-European government on its re-election.
“Moldova, you’ve done it again. No attempt to sow fear or division could break your resolve. You made your choice clear: Europe. Democracy. Freedom. Our door is open. And we will stand with you every step of the way. The future is yours.”
Moldovans chose 'democracy, reform and European future,' EU's Costa says
European Council president António Costa is joining in congratulations.
He says on X:
“The people of Moldova have spoken and their message is loud and clear. They chose democracy, reform, and a European future, in the face of pressure and interference from Russia. The EU stands with Moldova. Every step of the way.”
'Tusk hails Moldova's Sandu for 'saving democracy and keeping European course'
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk has also taken to social media this morning to congratulate Moldova on the election outcome.
On X, he says:
“It took real courage of the Moldovan nation and Maia Sandu personally to win this election.
Not only did you save democracy and kept the European course, but you have also stopped Russia in its attempts to take control over the whole region.
A good lesson for us all.”
'The will of Moldovan people has prevailed,' Macron says as he welcomes election result
Speaking of which, France’s Macron makes it clear that he is very pleased with the result in Moldova.
In a post on X, he says:
“Despite interference and pressure, the will of the Moldovan people has prevailed. France stands with Moldova in its pursuit of European aspirations and towards freedom and sovereignty.”
Morning opening: Moldova chooses Europe
And now a big sigh of relief.
Despite large scale Russian attempts to interfere with its parliamentary election, Moldova has returned a pro-European government, rejecting Moscow’s attempts to force it to abandon its path to join the European Union.
With more than 99.9% of the ballots counted, Maia Sandu’s pro-western Action and Solidarity party (PAS) garnered 50.16% of the vote to elect members of the 101-seat parliament.
That compared to 24.19% for a Moscow-leaning alliance of Soviet-nostalgic parties headed by former president Igor Dodon, according to results published on the election commission’s website.
My colleague Pjotr Sauer explained that Sandu’s PAS party outperformed pre-election surveys, which had suggested it would remain the largest party but risk falling short of a majority – potentially limiting her push to deliver on a pledge of EU membership within a decade.
But the result marks a major victory for Sandu, who has staked her presidency on a pro-European course and accused Russia of deploying unprecedented underhand tactics to sway voters in the impoverished nation squeezed between Ukraine and Romania.
The result will be welcomed by Brussels and in national capitals, after EU leaders spent a significant political capital on supporting Sandu in the buildup to the closely contested vote, including a rare joint visit by France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, and Poland’s Donald Tusk last month.
I will bring you early reactions to this historic vote.
Separately, I will also look at the latest on unidentified drones flying in the Nordics, as they continued disrupting the region’s air operations over the weekend. Denmark has introduced a civilian no-drones zone overnight as it prepares for two major summits in Copenhagen later this week. Let’s see how it works in practice.
It’s Monday, 29 September 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
