(MOSCOW) – Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has arrived in Moscow for talks with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin focused on security and bilateral ties. He is also due to meet the Russian prime minister. The visit follows Lukashenko’s order for a surprise combat readiness inspection after CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s unannounced trip to the Russian capital on Tuesday.
Ratcliffe met the head of Russia’s foreign intelligence service but did not speak with the Russian dictator. Current and former US officials said the private visit sought to convince the Kremlin to pursue a peace deal with Ukraine. A New York Times report stated Ratcliffe delivered a bleak assessment of Russia’s military and economic position and urged negotiations before the situation worsened. He conveyed the message to Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB. The intelligence channel is said to run parallel to contacts established by Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff with senior Kremlin advisers.
Kyiv recorded 13 air raid alerts over a 24-hour period on Thursday, the highest daily total since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. At least four people were wounded. Residents spent more than 14 hours under alerts. The previous record was 12 alerts on 1st March 2022. The barrage of jet-powered drones, ballistic and cruise missiles continued past midnight. Drone debris caused damage in several districts. Kyiv’s air defences have faced strain from shortages of Patriot interceptor missiles needed against ballistic attacks.
Poland’s defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that the country is interested in participating in NATO’s nuclear sharing programme and a European nuclear umbrella. The remark followed a meeting between his deputy Paweł Zalewski and US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Elbridge Colby at NATO headquarters, where permanent US bases in Poland were discussed. Zalewski initially said Poland did not want allied nuclear weapons on its territory, later clarifying that the United States currently has no plans to station them there and that hosting them would carry risks. He added that Poland could join a nuclear sharing arrangement without storing weapons on its soil.
Polish prosecutors have charged the president of the Polish Olympic Committee, whose surname is restricted under privacy rules, with offences linked to the collapse of the Zonda cryptocurrency exchange. The failure caused at least €80 million ($93.2 million / £68.6 million) in customer losses and may carry wider political consequences. Charges include influence peddling and preferential treatment of creditors. The suspect is alleged to have recovered all invested funds while thousands of other clients could not withdraw money. The Olympic Committee had received substantial sponsorship from the exchange, one of Poland’s largest crypto platforms.
Icelanders vote on Saturday in a referendum on closer EU ties that polls suggest could be decided by a few hundred votes. Supporters argue European links would stabilise the volatile currency and ease living costs. Opponents fear EU bureaucracy would limit sovereignty and fishing rights. The ballot follows the prime minister’s pledge after the 2024 election and was accelerated by US tariff threats and interest in Greenland. It is not a membership vote; any future deal would require a second referendum on negotiated terms.
Former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladić, convicted of genocide for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of at least 8,000 Bosniak men and boys in a UN safe area, died on Thursday at the UN detention centre in The Hague while serving a life sentence. Serbia’s justice minister said Belgrade would organise transport of the body and that the burial would be conducted with full state honours.
Moldova marked 35 years of independence on Thursday under pressure from Moscow. President Maia Sandu said Russian forces violate the country’s neutrality and Russian drones threaten peace. She spoke in Chișinău after meeting her Ukrainian and Romanian counterparts. Official ceremonies included a military parade of some 2,000 soldiers. Sandu stressed that Ukrainian resistance allows Moldovans to live in peace and that the two countries share the goal of full EU membership, with Romania mediating ties to the bloc. A further drone incursion into Moldovan airspace was reported the night before the celebrations.
Norway’s King Harald V died on Friday at the age of 89 after 35 years on the throne. He had been treated for a rare blood condition. The first native-born Norwegian king since the 14th century modernised the monarchy and married a commoner. He is succeeded by his son, Crown Prince Haakon, aged 53.
Controversial online figures Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan will remain in a Miami jail while contesting extradition to the United Kingdom on charges of rape, assault and facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation. A federal magistrate declined to rule immediately on bail after the brothers argued their online statements amounted to playing characters. Both deny wrongdoing. They were arrested on 18th July after a UK Crown Prosecution Service request.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected a US executive order renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America, stating the name will remain unchanged. Visitors interviewed expressed similar views, describing the move as bullying linked to trade talks.
Poland’s digital minister has called on the European Commission to impose a €250 million ($291 million / £214 million) fine on Meta Platforms over false advertisements, deepfakes and scams on Facebook and Instagram. It is the first such national proposal under the Digital Services Act. Meta said it removed up to 380,000 pieces of content from Poland that violated fraud rules, a response the minister deemed inadequate. Separately, Meta agreed in the United States to pay up to $18 billion (£13.2 billion / €15.5 billion) to 47 states and the District of Columbia to settle claims that its platforms harmed young users’ mental health, alongside structural changes including usage limits and independent auditing.
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