The Albany Gazette - Russia warns West as Ukraine secures Patriot defenses

Several European countries say Russian fighter jets and drones have violated their airspace over recent weeks, in what NATO has seen as a test of its resolve as Moscow presses on with its invasion of Ukraine.

"Russia is being accused of almost planning to attack the North Atlantic alliance and the European Union countries," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an address to the UN General Assembly.

"Russia has never had and does not have any such intentions. However, any aggression against my country will be met with a decisive response," he said.

Speaking later to reporters, Lavrov said that if any country downs objects still within Russian airspace, "they will very much regret it."

NATO -- which considers an attack on one ally an attack on all -- has been considering whether to shoot down Russian planes, in what would be a dramatic raising of the stakes with Russia.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday voiced support for downing Russian planes.

Trump had once boasted of his warm ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and invited him last month for talks in Alaska, ending the veteran Russian leader's ostracization by the West since he ordered the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

But Trump has subsequently voiced frustration with Putin and said that Ukraine should seize back all the territory Russia has taken or even cross the border -- abruptly reversing his months of pressure on Kyiv to give up land in talks with Russia.

Lavrov went out of his way still to praise Trump, who despite his public musings on Putin has yet to impose long-threatened new economic sanctions on Russia.

"In the approaches of the current US administration, we see a desire not only to contribute to ways to realistically resolve the Ukrainian crisis, but also a desire to develop pragmatic cooperation without adopting an ideological stance," Lavrov said.

- Israel offers support -

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Saturday that Israel for the first time had sent a US-made Patriot anti-missile defense system.

"The Israeli (Patriot) system is operating in Ukraine. It has been operating for a month. We will receive two Patriot systems in the fall," Zelensky told reporters as he returned from the UN summit, in which he met Trump.

Kyiv is scrambling to beef up its air defenses to repel daily Russian barrages of drones and missiles, especially ahead of winter, with heating infrastructure a frequent target of the attacks.

Israel, despite close ties with the United States, has tried to stay out of the Russia-Ukraine conflict but has sought cordial relations with Moscow in part due to its historic influence in neighboring Syria.

However, Russia's role there has diminished since Islamist-led fighters toppled veteran leader Bashar al-Assad in December.

Israel has still been adamant it will not share with Ukraine its state-of-the-art Iron Dome defense system built with US support that has proved crucial in shooting down incoming missiles in Israel's own ongoing war.

- Slow gains by Russia -

Russia, after failing to seize Ukraine swiftly in 2022, has been grinding through the east of the country in costly battles.

It claimed on Saturday to have captured three villages. Ukraine said that overnight Russian attacks killed one person and wounded 12 in the southeastern Kherson region.

As tensions rise between Russia and European powers, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant -- the largest in Europe -- has been off the grid for four straight days.

It is the longest outage at Zaporizhzhia since Russia invaded and seized the site.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga, writing on X, blamed Russia.

The Russian-based operator of the plant in turn blamed Ukrainian attacks, and said it has been receiving power from backup diesel generators.

(J.Torres--TAG)