WARSAW, Poland (AP) — France said Friday it’s deploying fighter jets to Poland and the UK announced fresh sanctions targeting Russia’s oil revenues and war machine as Europe’s first, measured steps to Russia’s drone incursion into Poland aimed to send a signal to Moscow that any further aggression won’t go unchecked.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he would deploy three advanced Rafale fighter jets to help protect Poland’s airspace and NATO’s eastern flank to fulfill a commitment he made to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. He said the deployment was discussed with both NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“The security of the European continent is our top priority. We will not yield to Russia’s growing intimidation,” Macron posted on X.
France’s Defense Ministry said the Rafales will carry out patrol missions alongside other NATO aircraft and will be accompanied by personnel on the ground. There will also be equipment and munitions.
Britain’s new sanctions include bans on 70 vessels that the U.K. says is part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” that transports Russian oil in defiance of sanctions already in place. Some 30 individuals and companies — including Chinese and Turkey-based firms — have also been sanctioned for their part in supplying Russia with electronics, chemicals, explosives and other weapons components.
The new sanctions came as British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper made her first trip to Kyiv Friday after her appointment a week ago following Starmer’s Cabinet shake-up.
Cooper said her visit is a demonstration of solidarity with Ukraine which faces a tenfold missile and drone Russian assault from a year ago.
“The UK will not stand idly by as Putin continues his barbaric invasion of Ukraine,” Cooper said, noting what she said was the Russian president’s “complete disregard for sovereignty” by sending drones in to NATO airspace.
“International action to increase economic pressure on Russia and to cut off critical cash flows which he desperately needs to pay for this illegal war is vital.”
Reflecting Britain’s support for Ukraine, Prince Harry made a surprise visit to Kyiv where he’s meeting with wounded service members on Friday.
Poland’s Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski was also visiting Kyiv on Friday. His Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha posted on X that the two officials would discuss “shared security, Ukraine’s EU and NATO accession, and pressure on Moscow.” Meanwhile, Poland’s Defense Ministry said it will work with Ukraine to train personnel on anti-drone defense.
Wednesday’s multiple Russian drone strike on Polish soil rattled Europe’s leaders who saw it as a deliberate provocation and forced them to confront long-standing fears that Russia’s three-year war on Ukraine could precipitate a wider conflict. It also compelled NATO allies to take a closer look at the means at their disposal to counter any further threats.
Also Friday, Russia stoked European unease as it launched a long-planned joint military exercise with Belarus aiming to showcase close defense ties between Moscow and Minsk, as well as Russia’s military might.
U.S.-led efforts to steer Moscow and Kyiv toward a peace settlement have so far failed to get traction.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said talks to end the war in Ukraine were currently on “pause” even though channels of communication between negotiators remain open.
“One cannot simply put on rose-tinted glasses and expect that the negotiation process will yield lightning-fast results,” Peskov said. “The Russian side remains ready to follow the path of peaceful dialogue.”
Russian air defenses downed 221 Ukrainian drones over more than a dozen Russian regions early Friday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.
The attack involved some of the highest numbers of drones reported by the Russian military, but there have been no reports of any significant damage.
Meanwhile, Tusk, the Polish prime minister, dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the drone incursion into Poland may have been “a mistake.”
“We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake,” Tusk wrote on X. “But it wasn’t. And we know it.” ____ Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London; John Leicester in Paris; Ilia Novikov in Kyiv and Katie Marie Davis in Manchester, England, contributed to this report.
