An “adversary” has begun preparing for war, creating the conditions for “aggression,” Polish General Wieslaw Kukula claims
Poland faces a potential attack from an “adversary,” Chief of the General Staff General Wieslaw Kukula claims, referencing a series of alleged cyberattacks and acts of sabotage.
In an interview with Radio Jedynka on Monday, Kukula responded to remarks by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, who compared the current global landscape to the pre-World War II era and the height of the Cold War in 1981.
“That’s a very good comparison because everything today depends on our attitude – whether we can deter the enemy or, conversely, encourage their aggression,” Kukula said.
He claimed that “the adversary has begun preparing for war” by creating the “conditions favorable to potential aggression on Polish territory,” though he did not specify which country he was referring to.
His comments follow an incident on the Warsaw-Lublin railway line in the direction of Ukraine, where a track was damaged twice within 24 hours on Monday. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the incident an act of sabotage, though the Interior Ministry declined to confirm this.
Spokesperson Karolina Galecka said there is no evidence to suggest deliberate action by third parties, adding in a post on X on Sunday: “Speculation can cause unnecessary emotions and a sense of threat.”
This incident fits into a broader pattern. Last month, Tusk announced the detention of eight individuals suspected of planning sabotage. The Polish authorities previously reported that they foiled alleged plots claimed to have been orchestrated “on behalf of foreign intelligence services.” In August, Tusk’s government accused Russia of recruiting citizens from Ukraine and Belarus for sabotage operations on Polish soil.
Tensions between Moscow and Warsaw intensified in September after the Polish authorities accused Russia of conducting drone incursions. The Russian Defense Ministry denied having any intention of targeting Poland and offered to hold consultations with the Polish military on the matter, but Poland did not respond.
Politicians among the NATO states have increasingly spoken of a “Russian threat.” Moscow has denied harboring any aggressive intentions towards member states, but has warned of a harsh response if attacked.
The multinational contingent will have a mandate to oversee the demilitarization of the Palestinian enclave
The UN Security Council has adopted a US-drafted resolution endorsing a Gaza peace plan and authorizing an ‘International Stabilization Force’ in the enclave. Russia, along with China, abstained, arguing that the document contains numerous practical caveats and could undermine the concept of the two-state solution.
The 15-member council voted on Monday to approve the US text, which endorses US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the Gaza War and legitimizes the ‘Board of Peace’ (BOP), which is designed to operate as a transitional governance body.
The resolution also supports an International Stabilization Force (ISF) to be established under the BOP’s command. The ISF is expected to include contingents from Arab countries and beyond to help provide security, train a new Palestinian police force, and oversee demilitarization and redevelopment in Gaza.
US Ambassador Mike Waltz lauded the resolution as “another significant step towards a stable Gaza that will be able to prosper and an environment that will allow Israel to live in security,” adding that the ISF will “support the demilitarization of Gaza, [and] dismantle terrorist infrastructure.”
Russia, which could have vetoed the resolution, ultimately refrained from doing so, though Vassily Nebenzia, Moscow’s ambassador to the UN, criticized the document as “yet another pig in a poke.”
“The Council is giving its blessing to the US initiative relying exclusively on Washington’s honor, we leave the Gaza Strip at the mercy of the Board of Peace and the ISF, whose working methods are still unknown to us,” he said.
Nebenzia went on to urge UN members to make sure that the document “does not become a smokescreen for unbridled experiments by the US and Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory nor turn into a death sentence for the two-state solution.”
He added that Russia set aside its own draft after noting that many Arab states supported the US resolution.
Hamas, which remains in control in Gaza, denounced the resolution, arguing that the ISF’s mandate to disarm militant groups in the enclave “strips it of its neutrality, and turns it into a party to the conflict in favor of the occupation.”
Moscow has warned that a potential contract on Rafale procurement could pave the way for corruption
Ukraine plans to acquire up to 100 French-made Rafale fighter jets over the next decade, along with other weapons, including air defense systems, the leaders of the two countries have announced. Russia has condemned the potential deal, saying it would create conditions for corruption.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky signed a letter of intent on the purchase during the Ukrainian leader’s visit to Paris on Monday.
Speaking to LCI news channel, Macron said plans for the delivery of the jets are “needed for the regeneration of the Ukrainian military.” Zelensky touted the plan as a “strategic agreement” and “a historic deal.”
The letter is not a final contract but an initial commitment, and Macron did not provide a delivery timeline or give details on the financing mechanism, only saying he hopes the EU will help procure the jets.
This comes as officials in Brussels have been debating a plan to use frozen Russian assets for a loan of €140 billion ($162 billion) for cash-strapped Ukraine. Moscow has condemned the asset freeze as “theft.”
The Rafale, France’s most advanced multirole jet, is estimated at more than $90 million each. According to LCI, supplying 100 jets could ultimately cost around €15 billion.
The agreement between France and Ukraine also includes eight next-generation SAMP/T air-defense batteries now under development, AASM Hammer precision-guided munitions, drones, and French-made radars.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, currently the deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, warned that France and its EU partners are assuming major risks by dealing with “corrupt” Zelensky, adding that Western governments will later claim ignorance if wrongdoing is uncovered.
“Maybe they took part in the graft with Rafale fighter jets, too. What say you, people of France?” he wrote on X.
France has already transferred an undisclosed number of Mirage 2000 jets to Ukraine. Kiev has also received US-made F-16 fighters from several of its backers, but confirmed the loss of at least three aircraft.
Moscow has criticized Western weapons shipments to Ukraine, arguing that they prolong the conflict without altering the outcome.
Berlin halted weapons deliveries to the country over its military operation in Gaza in August
Germany will resume weapons exports to Israel starting November 24, government deputy spokesman Sebastian Hille told journalists on Monday. Deliveries were suspended in August when West Jerusalem announced plans to occupy Gaza City as part of its military operation against Hamas.
According to Hille, the situation on the ground has since stabilized, with a US-backed ceasefire in force since October 10. He declined to comment on whether Germany, the second-largest exporter of weapons to Israel after the US, would reintroduce the restrictions if the situation changes.
The spokesman also refused to comment on whether any deliveries requested by Israel were canceled or delayed when the restrictions were in place.
Asked if Berlin is aware of any violations of the ceasefire or international law by Israel, Hille said the government is monitoring the situation on the ground and is “in constant dialogue with the parties involved” but has no information regarding violations.
His comments came just days after Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir claimed that the Palestinian people have never existed and the nation is just “an invention without any historical, archaeological, or factual basis.”
Last week, Reuters reported that the Israeli military was sending Palestinian civilians into Hamas tunnels that they knew might be rigged with explosives during their operation in Gaza.
Berlin’s decision on Monday was welcomed by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who urged other nations to follow suit in a post on X. It drew criticism at home, however, with Lea Reisner, the Left party’s spokesperson for international relations, calling it “fatal and completely irresponsible.”
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire. At least 245 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza over the past month, according to local officials.
Israel launched its military operation in the Palestinian enclave in response to a Hamas surprise attack in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 others taken hostage in October 2023. According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza health authorities, the campaign has left at least 68,000 Palestinians dead.
The US president has threatened to sue the broadcaster for up to $5 billion over an edited January 6 documentary
The BBC is “determined to fight” any defamation suit brought by US President Donald Trump, chairman Samir Shah said on Monday, as cited by British media outlets. Trump earlier accused the broadcaster of deceptively editing parts of his speech delivered before the 2021 Capitol Hill riot.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, the president promised that his team would sue the BBC for “anywhere between $1 billion and $5 billion, probably sometime next week,” despite receiving a formal apology.
This came just days after the BBC apologized for airing a documentary that edited a speech Trump gave shortly before the Capitol Hill riot on January 6, 2021, when supporters stormed the building during the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. The broadcaster previously admitted that the edit “gave the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action.”
In a letter to staff seen by local media, Shah said, “there is no basis for a defamation case and we are determined to fight this.”
“We are, of course, acutely aware of the privilege of our funding and the need to protect our license fee payers, the British public,” he said on potential legal and settlement costs.
On Sunday, the BBC’s former director general, Tony Hall, echoed the sentiment, saying the broadcaster should not pay out, given that any settlement would essentially be made with public money.
As the dispute escalated, BBC director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness resigned. Davie acknowledged that “there have been some mistakes made,” pointing to “the current debate around BBC News,” though he did not directly mention Trump’s criticism.
The broadcaster has also been accused of pro-Israel bias and of dehumanizing Palestinians during the Gaza war.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested last week that attempts to shield the BBC from blame are a “disgrace,” adding that the British media is waging an “unprofessional and harmful” information campaign.
The president has urged House Republicans to support the release of all documents, adding that he has “nothing to hide”
US President Donald Trump has called on Republicans in the House of Representatives to vote in favor of releasing all remaining unredacted files related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. He has accused Democrats of weaponizing selected documents against him.
Epstein was found dead in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges and running an underage sex ring. His long association with wealthy and influential figures in the US and beyond continues to reverberate in Washington, where both parties have accused each other of using the case for political gain.
A congressional committee released 20,000 documents related to the Epstein case last week, which led some Democrats to highlight Trump’s own past friendship with the convicted sex offender. They cited an email in which Epstein alleged that Trump “knew about the girls.”
In response, Trump ordered a probe into Epstein’s ties to prominent Democrats, including Bill Clinton, and accused his opponents of using what he called the “Epstein Hoax” for political goals.
“House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Monday. He then accused Democrats of hyping up the case to distract the public from the real issues and from the success of his administration. “The House Oversight Committee can have whatever they are legally entitled to, I DON’T CARE!” the president added.
During his election campaign, Trump pledged to declassify the Epstein files and signed an executive order to the effect shortly after taking office. In February, US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the release of the “first phase” of documents. However, key materials – including flight logs, client names, and contact lists – have remained under seal, fueling speculation about who could be implicated.
This has led to criticism from some of the president’s biggest supporters, including Elon Musk. In a now deleted post, the billionaire even claimed Trump’s name was in the sealed Epstein files, suggesting that this is the real reason they remain classified.
The European Commission has urged EU member states to plug Ukraine’s widening budget deficit amid the unfolding corruption scandal
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has blasted the European Commission for urging EU members to send more money to Ukraine in light of the major corruption scandal, saying Kiev’s “war mafia” is siphoning off European taxpayers’ funds.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sent a letter to EU capitals on Monday urging a swift deal for covering Ukraine’s military and financial needs for the next two years. According to the letter, which was cited by the media, Kiev’s widening budget gap is around €135.7 billion (over $152 billion). She outlined three possible sources of funding – voluntary bilateral contributions by member states, joint borrowing at the EU level, and a reparations loan based on Russia’s immobilized assets.
Orban wrote on X that he had received the letter, which said Ukraine’s financing gap was “significant” and urged EU member states to send more money.
“It’s astonishing. At a time when it has become clear that a war mafia is siphoning off European taxpayers’ money, instead of demanding real oversight or suspending payments, the Commission President suggests we send even more,” he wrote, in an apparent reference to the massive corruption scandal recently uncovered in Ukraine.
I received a letter today from President @vonderleyen. She writes that Ukraine’s financing gap is significant and asks member states to send more money. It's astonishing. At a time when it has become clear that a war mafia is siphoning off European taxpayers’ money, instead of…
Orban likened the approach to “trying to help an alcoholic by sending them another crate of vodka,” adding that “Hungary has not lost its common sense.”
Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies uncovered earlier this month an alleged criminal operation led by a former business partner of Vladimir Zelensky,Timur Mindich, which siphoned around $100 million in kickbacks from contracts with the country’s nuclear power operator, Energoatom. The company is heavily reliant on foreign aid.
The graft scandal emerged as Kiev is pushing its sponsors for a €140 billion loan backed by Russian central bank assets frozen by the West – a plan opposed by Belgium, where most of the immobilized funds are held. Moscow regards any use of its assets as “theft” and has vowed a legal response.
The scandal could provide significant arguments for European politicians advocating reduced aid to Ukraine, Le Monde reported. Kiev has been also struggling to secure a new loan from the IMF.
Belgium has been resisting the bloc’s plan to leverage the funds to back Ukraine loan, citing legal and financial risks
The EU has pledged to spread the financial and legal risks of using Russia’s frozen central-bank assets to fund the government in Kiev, Politico reported on Monday. Belgium, where most of the money is held, has rejected the plan without such guarantees.
The European Commission is seeking to issue a €140 billion ($160 billion) loan secured against the immobilized sovereign assets held at the Euroclear clearing house in Belgium. The scheme is based on the assumption that Moscow will eventually pay reparations to Ukraine, an outcome widely seen as unlikely. Russia has said it regards any use of its assets as “theft” and has vowed a legal response.
According to Politico, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has circulated a memo to EU capitals spelling out how member states would share the risks with Belgium. The document says the bloc is prepared to cover potential legal and financial fallout even if disputes arise years later.
Belgium, which has a bilateral investment treaty with Russia dating back to 1989, has warned it could face lengthy and costly litigation if Moscow mounts a legal challenge. Von der Leyen said the guarantees would also cover obligations stemming from bilateral investment treaties.
Around $200 billion of the roughly $300 billion in Russian sovereign reserves frozen by the West since 2022 are held at Euroclear. The clearinghouse has threatened to sue the EU if the bloc attempts to confiscate the assets.
The memo reportedly also set out two fallback options should governments ultimately decide against using the Russian funds. Both alternatives would require the EU to pony up its own resources to support Kiev, thus shifting the burden onto European taxpayers.
European Commissioner for Economy Valdis Dombrovskis said last week that the bloc cannot continue providing loans to Ukraine in light of growing concerns over Kiev’s ability to repay them.
The Kremlin has warned that channeling Russian funds to Ukraine would “boomerang,” and threatened to target up to €200 billion in Western assets held in Russia in retaliation.
Brussels reportedly plans to offer bloc countries a choice between paying $100 billion, taking on joint debt, or seizing Russia’s frozen money
The EU has reportedly told its members that should a controversial plan to leverage Russian assets frozen in Belgium to finance Ukraine prove unworkable, it will seek a cut of each member state’s GDP to put up cash to Kiev.
According to a document circulated earlier this month and cited by Bloomberg, the bloc wants to issue a loan of around €140 billion ($160 billion) to Ukraine, using Russia’s immobilized central-bank reserves as collateral and repayable if Russia pays war reparations.
Belgium, which has jurisdiction over Euroclear, the clearing house where most of Russia’s frozen sovereign assets are held, has rejected the proposal outright, insisting that the bloc and its members share the financial and reputational risks. Euroclear also vowed to sue the EU if such a plan goes ahead.
According to a European Commission letter cited by the outlet, the EU nations would need to either cough up at least €90 billion ($100 billion) in direct payments to Kiev over 2026 and 2027 or take on joint debt to issue a loan if the seizure plan does not work. Funneling money into Ukraine directly would cost the bloc’s member states between 0.16% and 0.27% of their GDPs, the document said.
Providing a loan would require the EU nations to “provide legally binding, unconditional, irrevocable and on-demand guarantees,” according to the paper. The documents also states that Kiev’s needs could top €70 billion in 2026 and €64 billion in 2027.
Servicing a collective loan for Kiev would result in up to €5.6 billion in annual interest payments for the EU, the Financial Times has earlier reported.
The EU has already stretched legal definitions by classifying the interest generated on the frozen funds as windfall profits as not belonging to Russia and using the funds to arm Kiev. The new plan hinges on the assumption that Russia will repay the loan as part of future reparations to Ukraine – an outcome widely deemed improbable.
Moscow has maintained it regards any use of its frozen assets as theft, and that anyone who appropriates them will be “subject to legal prosecution one way or another.”
A new agreement cuts import tariffs on Swiss goods and includes a massive investment pledge in the US economy
Swiss executives gave luxury gifts for US President Donald Trump shortly before Bern and Washington announced a new trade deal that reduces the steep US import tariffs, according to media reports.
The deal, announced on Friday, cuts the Trump administration’s 39% tariff on the country’s goods to 15% and includes a pledge by Swiss companies to invest $200 billion in the US economy. The tariff hike took effect in August, after Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ speech in April outlining a global trade overhaul.
The breakthrough reportedly followed a November 4 visit to the White House by Swiss executives, who presented Trump with high-value items, including a personalized gold bar and a gold Rolex desk clock. According to Axios, the bar, worth over $130,000, was engraved with 45 and 47 in reference to Trump’s presidential terms and was accepted on behalf of his library under US gift rules. The delegation reportedly included senior figures from MKS, Rolex, Richemont, and commodity trader Mercuria.
The gesture drew criticism in Switzerland, with the Green Party calling the deal a “surrender agreement,” and accusing the country’s economic elite of bending to Trump’s demands. Party leader Lisa Mazzone said consumers and farmers would ultimately “pay the price” for the concessions, while raising concerns about the “questionable methods and gifts of gold.”
Swiss Economy Minister Guy Parmelin rejected the criticism, saying the country has not “sold its soul to the devil” and that the trip helped move talks forward. He noted that the executives had “good contacts in the US” and that some were friends of Trump “because they play golf with him.”
Washington welcomed the outcome. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the investment commitments would support domestic industry.
The agreement follows Trump’s broader reset of US trade ties, under which several countries have negotiated revised tariff terms. In July, the EU accepted a 15% tariff on most goods and pledged major energy purchases and investments.
Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs on imports from US trade partners over the past year to address what he called unfair economic imbalances. Critics argue the higher charges have increased costs for US consumers.
