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Moscow says it will have a ‘harsh and painful’ response to Hungarian move to expel 10 diplomats
We are getting a bit more on that Russian response to Hungary, and it’s clear that Moscow is not happy.
The foreign ministry said it would proceed with a “harsh and painful” response, AFP reported.
“The response to the Russophobic lobby in Budapest will be harsh and painful,” foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told the TASS state news agency.
Key events
Ukraine ‘racing against time’ to prepare for winter as allies must prepare for ‘protracted’ conflict, allies say
Back to the videoconference on Ukraine (15:29), Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius urged partners to help Kyiv prepare for winter as it faces “race against time,” as “we can expect Russian air raids to increase again once temperatures drop and the damage will be even greater.”
A senior Pentagon official Elbridge Colby also warned that allies “must be prepared for a protracted conflict and for Ukraine’s requirements to persist in the months and years ahead.”
“Europe’s greater assumption of responsibility for its own defence is fully consistent with a strong and viable Ukrainian defence, provided that Europe continues to act with requisite seriousness and urgency,” he said.
Separately, Germany’s Pistorius also warned that Ukraine’s supporters face being “targeted by Russia” with “hybrid means to sow uncertainty in order to erode our social cohesion, democratic our democratic principles and weaken our willingness to support Ukraine.”
He recalled the recent attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport in this context, but insisted Germany was “unwavering” in its support to Ukraine.
“These attempts will not produce the intended outcome,” he said.
UK summons Serbian chargé d’affaires over Mladić funeral
The UK has joined the growing chorus of countries criticising Serbia for the pomp and the participation of state officials in yesterday’s funeral of Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladić.
In a short statement, the UK government said that:
“The UK’s Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, Dame Karen Pierce DCMG, summoned the Serbian Chargé d’Affaires to condemn the involvement of Serbian state and military officials in the funeral of Ratko Mladić.”
Europe minister Lord Wood of Anfield said that Mladić “presided over crimes that are among the worst committed in Europe since the second world war,” and so “the denial and whitewashing of his crimes is an affront to international law and directly undermines regional stability and trust.”
“The thoughts of the UK Government are with Mladić’s victims and their families. They deserve respect, compassion and accountability, not efforts to rewrite proven history. Political leaders and public institutions have a responsibility to look to the future, not to the past, and to act in ways that support regional reconciliation, not to reopen old wounds.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was established by the UN Security Council and Serbia is obliged to respect its judgments.
That is why today we summoned the Serbian Chargé d’Affaires. Glorification of a convicted war criminal directly undermines trust, fuels division and is incompatible with the process of reconciliation within Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region.
The UK remains firmly committed to international justice, accountability, and lasting reconciliation across the Western Balkans and will continue to work with partners across the region and internationally in support of peace, justice and a secure and prosperous future for all communities.”
Germany to deliver more Patriot missiles to Ukraine
Germany will deliver Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine from its national stocks, defence minister Boris Pistorius.
“I decided to deliver urgently needed PAC-2 interceptor missiles from Bundeswehr stocks to Ukraine,” Pistorius said at a videoconference of defence ministers from countries supporting Ukraine, in comments reported by Reuters.
Pistorius said Germany would also step up the provision of air-to-air missiles and would continue to deliver drones and long-range ammunition to Ukraine.
‘No place in Europe for the glorification of war criminals,’ EU’s Kallas says
EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas ramped up pressure on Serbia, condemning “the public glorification afforded to a convicted war criminal in Belgrade” after yesterday’s funeral of Ratko Mladić.
Kallas said the ceremony was “an affront to the memory of the victims, their families, and all those who suffered during the conflicts in the Western Balkans.”
“True reconciliation cannot be built on revisionism, the denial of genocide or the honouring of perpetrators.
Serbia’s path into the European Union requires an unequivocal commitment to fundamental European values and historical truth. There is no place in Europe for the glorification of war criminals.”
Several other EU foreign ministers also condemned the memorial service and put a question mark on Serbia’s accession path, including Austria’s Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Lithuania’s Kęstutis Budrys, and Sweden’s Maria M Stenergard.
Separately, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s foreign minister Elmedin Konaković ordered two Serbian diplomats to leave the country in protest at Serbian government officials taking part in the funeral. Earlier, he also withdrew Bosnian diplomats from Serbia (12:48).
European countries say they would support restrictions on trades with West Bank settlements
The foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK, have issued a statement saying they would support or consider restrictions on trade in goods with Israeli settlements in the West Bank that are illegal under international law.
The countries confirmed “their intention to introduce national and/or support European restrictions on trade in goods with settlements which are illegal under international law, or that they are actively considering these and other measures, in accordance with their national procedures,” the nations’ foreign ministers said in a statement.
“The government of Israel must immediately halt the expansion of settlements and civilian administrative powers, ensure accountability for settler violence, and investigate allegations against Israeli forces,” it added.
The (relatively new) UK foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, has been speaking in the House of Commons, setting out the government’s position.
Taking a much stronger stance than his predecessor, Yvette Cooper, Miliband said the government would now take the official stance that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank was unlawful in its entirety, while announcing an import ban on goods from illegal settlements in the occupied territories, among a number of other policies.
You can read more in our UK politics live blog here:
Ukraine can buy Patriot air defence system parts from EU’s support loan, von der Leyen says
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has said that Ukraine will be able to buy crucial parts for Patriot air defense systems through the next €3.2bn (£2.7bn; $3.7bn) disbursement from the EU’s support loan.
“Together with Nato secretary general Rutte, I welcome the agreement by Member States on the derogation for Ukraine to purchase crucial products for Patriot air defence systems,” she said in a statement.
Ukraine heavily relies on advanced air defence systems, mainly US Patriot interceptors, to protect its skies from Russian ballistic missile attacks. But this year, supplies of Patriot missiles have run out, leaving Ukraine vulnerable to strikes.
After a brutal summer of deadly Russian missile and drone attacks, Ukraine last week requested an exemption from Buy European procurement rules to acquire US-made Patriot interceptors using the EU’s €90bn support loan.
Ukraine has been asking western allies for air defence equipment amid fears Russia will dramatically intensify its missile attacks this winter.
My colleagues Jamie Grierson and Dan Sabbagh have written a story about the UK committing to £100m to boost Ukraine’s air defences ahead of the anticipated attacks.
We already mentioned the pledge in this post, but their story contains more detail.
Here is an extract:
“The air defence interceptors plus large-calibre artillery rounds and other drones will be supplied to Ukraine through a contribution to a Nato scheme to buy American weapons.
Ukraine is currently unable to prevent Russian ballistic missile attacks due to a shortage of Patriot interceptors, leading to attacks that have killed civilians and destroyed food and logistics warehouses over the summer.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he wants to obtain 300 Patriot missiles, costing about $3m (£2.6m) each, to help Kyiv protect its electricity, heating and water systems through the normally hard winter.
The UK did not say how many Patriots it would be able to buy, but the number is likely to be only a fraction of the number sought, though other western allies are also examining how they can help Kyiv defend itself.”
40-year-old Russian man questioned over Romanian sabotage allegations
A 40-year-old Russian man suspected of being involved in the operation is being questioned by Romanian prosecutors on Tuesday, a statement from Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism said.
Authorities are seeking court approval to detain him for 30 days pending inquiries into his encrypted communications, which reportedly included photos of several Romanian and multinational military bases.
Romanian intelligence service says it prevented Russian sabotage operation targeting defence, critical infrastructure
Romanian intelligence service said it “prevented the commission of a sabotage on national territory,” involving a Russian citizen in Romania and a number of defence and critical infrastructure targets.
In a statement, the SRI service said that the Russian man, who was being monitored as part of an extensive investigation, attempted to take photo and video documentation of “some communications centres and national military bases used by Nato allies,” as well as other defence institutions and critical infrastructure.
“The data obtained indicate a similar action pattern to that used on the territory of European states by networks of saboteurs coordinated by entities from the Russian Federation, including in the cases thwarted in Romania in 2024 and 2025: the Russian citizen was instructed by an intermediary to make photo-video materials with targets of strategic military interest, including a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft during their presence on the national territory.”
It added that “the specific actions taken by the SRI, as well as the measures taken with the Romanian authorities and external partners, led to the prevention of an act of sabotage on national territory.”
The service did not offer more detail on whether it involved any arrests.
Dutch foreign minister calls for ‘accountability, reconciliation, education’ after Serbia’s ‘hero’ funeral for Mladić
Dutch foreign minister Tom Berendsen also joined in calls for “accountability, reconciliation and education about the past” as he criticised Serbia for holding a “hero” funeral for Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladić (12:48).
In a statement, Berendsen said:
“Ratko Mladić was convicted of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. The honour bestowed upon him in Belgrade by the state is incompatible with European values and deeply hurtful to victims and their families.
The Netherlands supports voices in Serbia and across the region calling for accountability, reconciliation and education about the past.”
German police detain suspect after sabotage attacks on power grid
Elsewhere, we are getting a line from Germany that German police have detained a man suspected of carrying out a series of sabotage attacks on the country’s electricity grid, as reported by local media and Reuters.
The suspect, identified as Daniel V. by German media, was detained in Weisweiler about 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Cologne, where he allegedly carried out one of his attempted attacks, Reuters said.
German police have been searching for the 48-year-old since they obtained letters claiming responsibility for a series of sabotage attacks on the power grid, in which the suspect cited opposition to fossil fuels as a motive.
German news agency DPA said that the suspect’s “motive was reportedly climate-related, with the letters criticising electricity production from fossil fuels.”
EU backs Hungary’s decision to expel 10 Russian diplomats
Separately, the commission was also asked about Hungary’s decision to expel 10 Russian diplomats this morning.
The commission’s foreign affairs spokesperson Christian Wigand said:
“We take note of Hungary’s legitimate decision.
This is an expected reaction [given] Russia’s persistent campaign in using hybrid attacks against the EU and its member states.
The European Union expresses its full solidarity with Hungary and reaffirms its support for the diplomatic and consular activities of all member states conducted in accordance with international law.
The European Union will continue to closely coordinate with Hungary and other member states, and remains committed to protecting the interests and the rights of EU citizens.”
Bosnia withdraws diplomatic staff from Serbia in protest at Mladić’s ‘hero’ funeral
It’s worth noting that Bosnia and Herzegovina withdrew all staff from its Belgrade embassy yesterday, and transferred consular services to its embassies in Zagreb and Podgorica in protest against Mladić’s ‘hero’ funeral in Belgrade.
The ministry said the move intended to “reduce communication with Serbia to the lowest possible level,” while intensifying its dialogue about the situation with the EU, US, and the UK.
It’s also probably safe to say that the Bosnian foreign ministry was not impressed with the commission’s bland holding position yesterday.
Responding to questions from reporters yesterday, the EU’s lead spokesperson Paula Pinho insisted that “there is no place for glorification of war criminals,” but did not really engage with repeated questions about the apparent state and military honours involved.
In a late afternoon post directed at Pinho, the ministry said: “are you even aware of what you are saying?”
It continued:
“Five ministers from the Serbian Government were seated in the front row at the funeral, a convicted war criminal was given military honours, and his body was flown in on a Serbian Government aircraft.
What are you afraid of? Why are you unwilling to call this what it is?
Your position on the funeral of a convicted war criminal is a disgrace to the entire European Union!”
Difficult not to see a link between their furious reaction and this morning’s hasty statement from von der Leyen and Pinho’s notably different tone at today’s midday briefing.
EU ‘looking into’ its response to Serbia’s ‘hero’ funeral for Mladić
Not surprisingly, the issue of the EU’s muddled response to yesterday’s “hero” funeral for Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladić comes up again during today’s midday briefing held by the European Commission.
A commission spokesperson said the commission was “looking into” any potential consequences for Serbia.
She also repeated commission president von der Leyen’s criticism from this morning (9:41), saying the images from the funeral were “shocking” and “speak for themselves.”
“They demonstrate a failure to confront a dark chapter in Europe’s recent history and contradict the values underpinning Serbia’s path towards the European Union,” Paula Pinho said.
She declined to say if von der Leyen would visit Belgrade on her annual trip to western Balkans, stressing the programme is still being worked on.
Moscow says it will have a ‘harsh and painful’ response to Hungarian move to expel 10 diplomats
We are getting a bit more on that Russian response to Hungary, and it’s clear that Moscow is not happy.
The foreign ministry said it would proceed with a “harsh and painful” response, AFP reported.
“The response to the Russophobic lobby in Budapest will be harsh and painful,” foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told the TASS state news agency.
Russia to respond to Hungary’s decision to expel 10 Russian diplomats
Meanwhile, the Russian foreign ministry told RIA Novosti news agency that it would respond to Hungary’s decision to expel 10 Russian spies diplomats from Budapest (11:09).
