Overview
- Finnish president Alexander Stubb told the Financial Times that NATO leaders support Ukraine’s long-range drone and missile strikes inside Russia to increase pressure on Moscow and strengthen Kyiv’s negotiating position.
- Russian officials and commentators responded strongly, with a Kremlin spokesman saying the West has turned Moscow’s operation into a full war and a Federation Council member warning that backing strikes brings legal responsibility for civilian deaths.
- Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil and military infrastructure have produced concrete effects, including fuel shortages reported in Russian-occupied Crimea, which Western officials say have shifted strategic thinking about the conflict.
- Stubb also reported raising concerns about nuclear escalation with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, who he said issued clear warnings, highlighting wider diplomatic alarm over the strike campaign’s risks.
- NATO leaders are due to discuss further support for Kyiv at the Ankara summit, a meeting that could shape alliance aid decisions and long-term Western strategy as Russia frames the strikes as escalation and delay to talks.