‘Coalition of prepared’ to debate safety ensures for Ukraine in assembly on Thursday – Europe reside | Ukraine

Russia suspected of jamming GPS on airplane carrying Ursula von der Leyen – full story

Jennifer Rankin

in Brussels
and Oliver Holmes

Russia is believed to have jammed the satellite tv for pc sign of a airplane carrying the European Fee president, Ursula von der Leyen, over Bulgaria, reportedly forcing it to circle the airport for an hour.

Von der Leyen was travelling to Plovdiv on Sunday when her constitution airplane misplaced digital navigation aids, delaying its arrival within the central Bulgarian metropolis.

Interference with satellite tv for pc navigation has change into more and more widespread in airspace close to Russia and it stays unclear whether or not von der Leyen was intentionally focused. Requested about this level, EU spokesperson mentioned: “The query is greatest requested to the Russians.”

The incident occurred throughout a four-day journey by von der Leyen to seven EU member states on the bloc’s jap border. In Vilnius on Monday, von der Leyen didn’t point out the incident, however spoke of “fixed navy and hybrid threats” going through Lithuania.

In March 2024, Russia was believed to have been chargeable for jamming the sign of a airplane carrying the then UK defence secretary, Grant Shapps, who was returning to the UK from Poland. The RAF airplane skilled GPS interference for about half-hour whereas it flew close to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. It was reported on the time that it was unclear whether or not Shapps was the goal.

GPS jamming and “spoofing” – an digital warfare tactic that causes incorrect navigation data to be displayed – has elevated since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and escalated much more sharply within the final 12 months.

In June, 13 EU member states raised the alarm about jamming and spoofing threats disrupting air and sea journey. Poland recorded 2,732 instances of digital interference in January 2025, up from 1,908 in October 2023, whereas Lithuania recorded 1,185, up from 556 in March 2024, in keeping with an inside EU doc drafted in Could.

The doc describes interference to world satellite tv for pc navigation techniques as “not random incidents however a systemic, deliberate motion by Russia and Belarus”. It added that “inflicting vital harm has been easy and low cost” and was prone to proceed with out “proportional countermeasures”.

And we now have an official affirmation that the Coalition of the Prepared will meet this Thursday to debate what’s subsequent on Ukraine struggle, as first reported by the AFP (10:05).

The assembly, co-chaired by France’s Emmanuel Macron and Britain’s Keir Starmer, will happen in a hybrid format and concentrate on safety ensures for Ukraine and a united response to Russia’s refusal to finish the struggle, the Élysée Palace mentioned.

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy can be anticipated to participate.

Germany doesn’t count on Russian assaults on Nato territory underneath the quilt of Moscow’s Zapad navy drills that are set to kick off in two weeks, German chief of defence Carsten Breuer mentioned, reported by Reuters.

“We don’t have any indication that preparations for an assault are taken underneath the quilt of the train. However we can be on our guard, not simply the German forces, however Nato,” Breuer informed reporters in Berlin.

The fee was additionally requested about von der Leyen’s FT interview on plans for Ukraine, with journalists doubting if the plans had been as superior as she made them sound (10:24).

Arianna Podestà mentioned that fee representatives “take part in these technical stage talks,” and von der Leyen stays involved with different leaders.

“Subsequently, it’s the view of the president shaped by way of the data that she will get in dialogue with the leaders, in addition to technical stage engagements, that there’s a plan that’s coming to form.

There may be a transparent roadmap, as she has mentioned, in the direction of constructing these safety ensures.

She has mentioned that, for instance, in final week’s assembly of the Coalition of the Prepared and defence chiefs, they’ve labored out a fairly exact plan for this engagement.”

EU transport spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen additionally provided a bit extra element on the difficulty of GPS jamming and its impression on operations.

She mentioned:

“Typically, we’ve been seeing a numerous such jamming and spoofing actions, notably within the jap flank of Europe.

Europe is essentially the most involved area within the or most affected area globally, on this.

There was a letter despatched by 13 member states to the Fee in June this 12 months, they usually drew our consideration moreover to this situation, which is one thing that’s turning into virtually every day observe.

It has severe impacts on maritime and aviation and clearly with financial impression as nicely.”

European Fee spokesperson Arianna Podestà has now confirmed that von der Leyen’s airplane was affected by “GPS jamming,” with the Bulgarian authorities suspecting this was “as a consequence of blatant interference from Russia.”

“We’re, after all, conscious and used to one way or the other to the threats and intimidations which can be [a] common part of Russia’s hostile behaviour.

After all, this can solely reinforce even additional our unshakable dedication to ramp up defence capabilities and assist for Ukraine.”

She careworn that the airplane landed safely in Bulgaria.

“This incident really underlines the urgency of the mission that the President is finishing up within the frontline member states.”

Ukrainian international minister Andrii Sybiha has simply mentioned that a unprecedented assembly of the Nato-Ukraine council can be held in Brussels at this time “on the request of Ukraine and in response to Russia’s latest huge air assaults”.

“We anticipate a centered dialogue on joint steps to adequately reply to Russia’s rejection of peace efforts and escalating terror towards Ukrainians.

We’re grateful to Nato and all allies who proceed to indicate robust assist for Ukraine and significant peace efforts. Moscow should really feel a stronger stress because the consequence of it prolonging the struggle.”

In the previous couple of minutes, the FT additionally reported {that a} suspected Russian interference assault focused von der Leyen’s plan on method to Bulgaria over the weekend, forcing the airplane to land utilizing paper maps.

The newspaper quoted (£) an official saying that “the entire airport space GPS went darkish,” prompting the pilot to circle over the Plovdiv airport for an hour and finally land utilizing paper maps.

The Guardian has not independently verified the report.

The so-called GPS jamming, which is believed to be attributable to Russia, has been a recurring downside affecting components of jap Europe, notably over the Baltic Sea, in the previous couple of years.

In 2024, an analogous incident concerned an RAF airplane taking the then defence secretary Grant Shapps again to UK from Poland, and flying close to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

Cellphones might now not connect with the web and the plane was compelled to make use of various strategies to find out its location, the supply mentioned.

In the meantime, we acquired a readout from the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s assembly with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghain Cooperation Organisation summit in China.

Erdoğan’s workplace mentioned that he informed Putin that Ankara was working to discover a honest and lasting finish to the struggle in Ukraine and that talks between the events in Istanbul had been contributing to peace efforts, Reuters reported.

The pair additionally talked about bilateral relations, peace efforts between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the scenario within the Center East.

Lithuania’s Nausėda additionally speaks in regards to the nation’s plans to make use of extra EU funding to strenghten its border and defence traces after incidents with suspected Russian drones crossing into Lithuania in latest months.

“Lithuania understands the scenario now may be very harmful, very fragile, and we’ve to have the ability to detect the UAVs [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles] that are crossing sometimes over border, and we should always be capable to shoot them down if wanted.

So that is about security of our individuals, and we take this very significantly.”

And that ends their press convention.

Showing alongside Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda, the EU’s von der Leyen is now talking in regards to the EU’s plans for supporting the international locations on the bloc’s jap border.

She says that EU member states with a direct border with Russia and Belarus “will obtain extra funding,” as “it’s within the European curiosity that we’ve the safety of the border right here.”

Von der Leyen additionally speaks about the potential safety ensures for Ukraine.

She says the EU was engaged on safety ensures along with the Coalition of the Prepared, with “a powerful, well-equipped and skilled” Ukrainian military set to be the primary line of defence, supported by “a multinational group from the Coalition of the Prepared with the backstop of the Individuals.”

The previous German defence minister provides that this can be supported by the EU’s “personal defence posture.”

She additionally says {that a} potential EU membership for Ukraine would additionally successfully supply one other assure.

That seems to substantiate what she mentioned within the FT interview.

European Fee president Ursula von der Leyen is touring the bloc’s seven international locations on the jap border with Russia, speaking about preparedness and plans to spend money on European defence business.

She can be in Lithuania and Romania later at this time, after visiting Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Poland and Bulgaria over the weekend.

However in an interview with the Monetary Occasions newspaper (£) revealed this morning, she mentioned that European capital had been engaged on “fairly exact plans” for potential navy deployment to Ukraine to offer safety ensures, and argued there was a “clear highway map” for such deployments.

She mentioned capitals had been engaged on plans for “a multinational troop [deployment] and the backstop of the Individuals”.

Let’s see if she goes additional in her feedback later at this time.

And as if on cue, we are actually getting reviews that Zelenskyy will meet with European leaders in Paris on Thursday to debate the following steps and what could be executed to boost stress on Russia, a supply informed AFP.

“We’re planning such a gathering” between Zelensky and “European leaders”, the supply mentioned, including that Trump “isn’t thus far anticipated to be there.”

Morning opening: Tick-tock

Jakub Krupa

Greater than two weeks on from the Alaska summit between US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin, the tip of the struggle in Ukraine doesn’t seem like any nearer.

Trump claimed on the time that he was near a breakthrough that would result in a bilateral assembly between Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

However that doesn’t appear to be any nearer both.

Zelenskyy mentioned final week that Ukraine would “remind everybody about it” as Trump’s semi-deadline of “two, perhaps three weeks” symbolically expires at this time.

On Friday, French president Emmanuel Macron warned that if Putin missed the Monday deadline, it could be one more instance of him attempting to ‘play’ Trump – one thing that, Macron mentioned, couldn’t go unanswered and may immediate additional sanctions.

However attending a summit in China over the weekend, the Russian president repeated his hardline place, reiterating his opposition to Ukraine’s plans to affix Nato and calling for “a good steadiness within the safety sphere,” which is extensively seen as shorthand for his expansive calls for on Europe’s safety.

“To ensure that a Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, the foundation causes of the disaster, which I’ve simply talked about and which I’ve repeatedly talked about earlier than, should be eradicated,” Putin mentioned.

In the meantime, Ukraine mentioned it suspected Russian involvement within the homicide of former parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy over the weekend.

“We all know that this crime was not unintentional. There’s a Russian involvement. Everybody can be held accountable earlier than the legislation,” police chief Ivan Vyhivskyi mentioned on Fb, Reuters reported.

All of it suggests one other busy week, as leaders attempt to discover new methods ahead.

I’ll convey you all the important thing updates right here.

It’s Monday, 1 September 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa right here, and that is Europe Dwell.

Good morning.