Moscow Burning . Another Successful Drone Strike by Ukraine.

Good evening. This is TVP World. You're watching World News Tonight. I'm your host, Benjamin Lee. Washington responds positively to the proposal of establishing permanent U.S. presence in Poland, Defense Minister Koshner-Kamysh announced after meeting with the American Secretary of Defense in Brussels. We'll have more on that in just a moment. But first, here are tonight's headlines. Ukrainian drone strikes wreak havoc in Moscow and retaliation for the recent attacks against Kyiv. Strait of Hormuz reopened after the U.S. reaches agreement with Iran on a nuclear arms ban. And France's right-wing nationalist presidential hopeful meets with Poland's president in Warsaw. Ukrainian drones have struck Moscow's refinery for the second time this week, sparking a major fire and sending thick smoke across parts of the Russian capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attacks as a justified response to Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities. Anastasia Yurchenko has this report. A massive blast at an oil refinery in Moscow. The Russian capital woke up to a wave of Ukrainian attacks. Explosions rang out across the city. Smoke filled the sky. Dozens of drones broke through Russian air defenses and struck the Moscow oil refinery for the second time in three days. Targets were also hit in Russia's Rostov region and in Russian-occupied territories. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the strikes and sent a clear message to the Russian leader. If Ukraine burns, Moscow will burn. Therefore, we emphasize once again, it is time to end the aggression. It is time to end this war. The refinery is one of the largest in Russia. It supplied nearly 40 percent of the Moscow region's energy consumption needs and provided aviation fuel for the capital's four biggest airports. Already after the first attacks, some passengers complained on social media that their flights to Moscow were redirected to other cities due to fuel shortages. Bringing the war back to them is important in terms of trying to instill the pressure on Putin from within Russia. And we hope, especially given all the comments that we read right now online, that finally people in Moscow will start asking the questions. And many already have. Due to regular Ukrainian attacks, Russia's biggest fuel companies are imposing refueling restrictions on customers. Tatneft, the country's fifth-largest company, kept purchases at 40 liters per vehicle. But fuel shortages have been reported at other gas stations in the capital, which has sparked outrage among Russian influencers. Does anyone know what's going on in Moscow? Not a single gas station has fuel. Rostneft is closed. Is something happening? Some have even called for so-called peaceful protests if the situation does not improve. We just gather in central Moscow, near the defense ministry, near the Kremlin, and ask one simple question. What the f**k is going on? Because if we keep silently watching all this s**t and do absolutely nothing, we simply won't have a country left. And more attacks will follow, Ukrainian authorities say, as Russia continues terrorizing Ukrainian cities. Overnight into Thursday, Russia launched ballistic missiles and drones in multiple Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv, which is still recovering from this week's mass attacks. For TVP World, Anastasia Yanchenko. Washington is open to Poland's proposal to establish a permanent military base in the country. The issue was discussed by NATO defense ministers gathered in Brussels on Thursday amid growing concerns over European security and a reduced U.S. military presence on the continent. At the same time, European NATO allies pledged one billion U.S. dollars in additional funds for Kyiv. Our defense correspondent, Zuzanna Jurek, reports from the Belgian capital. Poland appears one step closer to a potential permanent presence of U.S. troops on its territory. That is according to the Polish defense minister Władysław Krasiniak-Kamysz and the statements he made during the NATO defense ministers' meeting taking place in Brussels on Thursday. The U.S. has responded positively to Poland's proposal to open a permanent American military base on the territory of Poland. Now, as the discussion between Pete Hexoday as the U.S. Secretary of Defense and the Polish defense minister has only just taken place, very little detail about the potential presence of U.S. forces in Poland is known. We don't know what the numbers would be. However, Władysław Krasiniak-Kamysz has underlined that the final decision would be the presence of the actual bases and where they would be stationed is also not yet known. However, it is understood that over the next six months, as the U.S. is undertaking its review of the military posture in Europe, the decision about the final number of troops they would be willing to send to Poland could be taken. Now, the warning about the military posture comes as the U.S. has repeatedly moved to relocate some of the troops away from Europe, having had stationed previously, that Europe is no longer its key strategic priority and it has to focus on other theaters of war. Now, however, the most important thing is Europe understands that as much as it strives to build up its capabilities and shore up its deterrence, the key factor that plays a role in this is the balance of power in Ukraine. As we understand, European allies have once again come together to pledge additional support for Kiev as it continues to resist Russia's war of aggression. Mikhailo and I have therefore signed another very important agreement today. It provides a framework for the joint development of a new air defense system to counter those ballistic missiles. Our country's industries are already in consultation over this. Now, although air defense may be one of the most pressing needs for Kiev, considering that it continues to be striked by Russia's drones repeatedly on a day-to-day basis, it is not the only need that Kiev currently has. As such, European NATO allies have once again come together to pledge additional funds in support for Ukraine. This includes Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, as well as Norway. Additionally to the funds which have been pledged, concrete capabilities have also been promised. This includes ammunitions, missiles that Germany has provided, as well as the co-development that Europeans will be seeking to complete with Ukraine. That includes the carrying out of joint projects, including the Hermit vehicle between Germany and Kiev, as well as further capabilities. The UK has also pledged to deliver as many as 150,000 drones to Kiev towards the end of the year. All of this is said to contribute to Kiev's counter-offenses, which it has continued to carry out increasingly effectively. From Brussels for TV World, Zuzanna Jurek. And staying in Brussels, the European Council Summit has begun with the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. European leaders are focusing on Ukraine's path towards EU membership and efforts to end Russia's war against the country. We go live now to our correspondent Lara Hasanov in Brussels. Good evening, Lara. So, should we expect any decisions regarding Ukraine at this summit? Good evening, Ben. Well, the leaders are holding an exchange of views with President Volodymyr Zelensky as we speak. Of course, Ukraine is at the top of the agenda for today. We heard Ursula von der Leyen as she approached the media today saying that she believes the tide is turning for Ukraine. She was echoed by President Volodymyr Zelensky himself, who said that we must now keep pressure on Russia, force it possibly to the negotiating table. This in itself is a controversial concept, to say the least, as leaders of EU countries remain divided on whether that is a good idea at this moment in time, even as Russia appears on the back foot. But that is not the only issue at stake here. There may be more trouble ahead. Bulgaria has already expressed certain reservations regarding these sanctions because we have stated our position. We will not allow sanctions that harm or pose a risk to the Bulgarian economy. I can point out here the risks to the functioning of Lukoil. I can also point to risks regarding the supply of spare parts for the Sofia metro. Now, this was the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Roman Radev, saying that he could possibly veto future EU sanctions against Russia. He also said that he would veto any sanctions against the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, this is Patriarch Kirill. Now, he is on a sanctions list that is due to be discussed today, and he is no stranger to European discussions at all, as he was at the centre of Viktor Orban's veto before. Now, this is significant for Ukraine itself, as it appears to be pushing and approaching European leaders to help expedite its process of joining the European bloc. It has just begun the process of negotiating its accession into the EU, but while Ukraine has maintained that it is crucial that Ukraine, when it joins the European Union, joins as a full-fledged member, this could be more complicated than they may think, as the EU is already putting some significant safeguards into place. The Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, saying that any new members could potentially face being stripped of their veto powers for up to 15 years. Now, a few other countries, including France and Germany, are also saying that new members should be stripped of any decision-making power on key policy issues, such as defence and budget. Now, this is a clear legacy of Viktor Orban's vetoes, and while he is no more replaced by Peter Magyar, who is here at his first European Council summit, his shadow is due to loom large. Thank you so much, Lara, for a detailed update. Appreciate it. Now, life is beginning to return to normalcy in the Persian Gulf, after the United States and Iran signed a memorandum aimed at ending the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important shipping routes. Under the agreement, Iran has pledged not to develop a nuclear weapon, while Washington has promised to lift sanctions on Tehran. Pavel Trotskovsky has this report. In the Lebanese city of Tyre, Adnan Khaour returns to his home, damaged in Israeli strikes. This is the first time he has visited the place since it was reduced to rubble. I'm hopeful for peace, and God willing, this is the end of this war, and everyone can go back to their homes. And soon his wish may come true, as there are to be no more strikes, a decision not widely accepted in Israel. I really think it's bad, bad, bad, bad. Like, I feel like it's a shame for the process if this is where we end up. However, it is the bigger players that have the final say in the peace process in the Middle East, and Washington and Tehran have decided it's time to end the war that has spilled beyond Iran. On Sunday we reached an agreement with Iran that achieves everything we set out to accomplish, everything and much more. This everything and much more means that the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened and that Iran won't obtain or develop nuclear arms. That's what it was all about. That was about 99 percent. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Iran, in return, could count on a more than a $300 billion reconstruction plan, the Memorandum of Understanding has already been signed by both sides, as well as by Pakistan, the mediating party. And now Washington and Tehran have 60 days to reach a final agreement that would put an end to the war that started in February. The end of hostilities is in the Trump administration's best interest, as it prepares for a crucial election in November. The US has to face midterm elections and they need deliverables and first and foremost, you know, the price of oil to get down at some levels that would be acceptable by the population. But Tehran also needs to catch a breath. In the case of Iran, they are exhausting their resources and they would really want to move to some of their external funds blocked and some sanctions being released in such a framework. For now, the ships and the Strait of Hormuz are on the move again and the delegations are getting ready for a meeting in Switzerland where the details of a peace plan are to be discussed in earnest on Friday. We're going to get to a good place. We're already at a good place. It's just a question of whether we can really get the icing on the top of fundamentally transforming Iran's relationship with the world. Go ahead. Paweł Trzaskowski, TVP World. Jordan Bardella is in Poland for a two-day visit. The French nationalist politician is currently leading the polls ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The National Rally co-leader met with Polish President Karol Noworodzki, but spent most of his day with Krzysztof Balczak, one of the leaders of Poland's far right. Krzysztof Balczak reports on the growing ties between the two nationalist parties and what this could mean for Ukraine. French far right leader Jordan Bardella is on a tour abroad. After visiting the UK, Israel and the United Arab Emirates, he's come to Poland. As I'm here in one of Europe's major entry points, I want to issue a warning to all our fellow citizens. Our continent will no longer belong to Europeans if we do not put a stop to the flood of migrants, these unending flows that are disrupting our societies. Bardella's co-leader of the National Rally, Marine Le Pen, was meant to run in the presidential election in France in 2027, but she's facing a five-year ban on running for office due to corruption charges. The 30-year-old Bardella is therefore poised to run in her place. He was received in Warsaw on Thursday by Poland's conservative president Karol Nawrocki. Rich discussions on the future of Europe, on the security of the continent in the face of threats and on the necessary cooperation between our two countries. Bardella had earlier said he would meet with politicians of the largest Polish right-wing opposition party Law and Justice or PiS. Instead, he spent his first day in Warsaw alongside one of Poland's far right leaders, Krzysztof Bosak. I find it very revealing that Jordan Bardella is not meeting the PiS, he's actually meeting the Confederacia. So what do Bardella and Bosak have in common? Both nationalist politicians are rising in popularity ahead of the crucial elections in France and Poland in 2027. Both have lately presented themselves as the voice of reason in politics, despite the underlining controversial views on immigration, the war in Ukraine and the traditional family model. They have been this narrative now for two years, almost from the national rally, to present themselves as a very far-right, traditional, more conservative than extremist party. They also tried, even if the opposition was actually in support of Russia for a moment, but they tried to assert themselves as rational, more pro-Europeans. Bardella hasn't confirmed his candidacy for president yet, but he's already leading in opinion polls ahead of the centrist and far-left candidates. Krzysztof Bosak's confederation party is nowhere near as popular, but its result of more than 12%, according to opinion polls, would place it in a good negotiating position for a potential ruling coalition. If both these politicians score well in their respective elections, the biggest shift in policy for France and Poland could be regarding Ukraine. We both express our opposition to Ukraine joining the European Union. We believe Ukraine doesn't meet the standards of the EU. The French will vote in the spring of 2027, while the Poles will cast their ballots in the autumn. For TVP World, Kazimierz Łysiak. Polish authorities say they have detained the suspected gunman in the killing of Russian dissident artist Semyon Skarpiecki. Senior government officials say the motive may be linked to the victim's criticism of Vladimir Putin and the Belarusian regime. Piotr Kuzma has this report. In our assessment, he was the one who carried it out. He is the person responsible for the actual killing of the Russian citizen. The man who is believed to have pulled the trigger in Monday's killing of Russian artist and activist Semyon Skarpiecki was arrested near Warsaw on Thursday. This individual is also being linked by police to other crimes committed in Poland. Questions remain about who may have ordered the killing. Skarpiecki was known for his criticism of Vladimir Putin, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and Alexander Lukashenko. He criticized Putin and Kadyrov. That was the essence of his activity. At this stage, the hypothesis is fairly obvious. We want evidence and we intend to find it. Authorities say the suspect is a 36-year-old man traveling on a Georgian passport. Unconfirmed reports suggest the document may have been forged and that the suspect could be of Chechen origin. Police say public assistance played an important role in locating the suspect. The investigation led us to a hostel near Warsaw where counter-terrorism officers arrested him early this morning. The killing took place on Monday morning in Biała Podlaska in eastern Poland. Investigators say the attacker approached Skarpiecki on a residential street and fired three shots from a handgun. After the victim fell to the ground, the gunman allegedly approached Skarpiecki and fired two more shots at a close range. We are treating this case very seriously because, frankly, there are grounds to suspect that the alleged killer may have been acting on behalf of those who ordered the crime. I do not need to convince anyone that this raises concerns about the possibility of state-sponsored terrorism. This would not be the first such case in Europe. We have seen similar incidents before. But in Poland, it would be the first suspected politically-motivated assassination ordered by a foreign state. The case has drawn comparisons to previous attacks on Kremlin critics abroad. Perhaps the most infamous example was the 2018 poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergey Skripal and his daughter in the United Kingdom using the nerve agent Novichok. The use of the firearms in a country that's as unused to this type of events as Poland is, is shocking. But what doesn't shock us is the fact that the Russians keep trying to control the potential protesters against the regime in Czech by using the sort of demonstrations of power that you can't run but you can't hide. Unlike the COVID poisoning in the Skripal case, the attack in Biała Podlaska was carried out in broad daylight with a firearm. Piotr Kućma, TVP World. Ukraine intensifies drone attacks targeting vital Russian energy facilities and supply routes. Now this as the US calls on Vladimir Putin to join the negotiating table and agrees to impose more sanctions on Russia. To talk about it and more, we're joined by General Ben Hodges, a former commander of US Army Europe. Hello and welcome to TVP World. Thank you for the privilege. So let's actually kick things off with the news of the day in Poland, which is the positive response when it comes to establishing a permanent US base in the country. Now, what does that mean realistically, a positive response? Can we actually see this happen? And if so, is there a timeline? Well, of course, the messaging coming from the Pentagon is still confusing. And I think we are not certain about what and if something is going to come. I do believe that the administration will follow through on President Trump's commitment last week to send at least 5,000 more troops into Poland permanent. I think we're probably talking about expanding the size of the headquarters, the US headquarters in Poznań. But I don't know. I mean, the secretary does not speak consistently. And it's hard to be sure about what they intend to do. But that would be my guess is that we're talking about expanding the size of the permanent headquarters in Poznań, assuming Poland approves that, of course. All right. So let's say if this does indeed happen, what would a decision like this, a permanent US base, mean for US relation with Russia? Well, what it should mean is that we are sending a signal to the Kremlin that we will, as a member of the alliance, we are going to do our part to help defend every inch of NATO. That's what should be happening. And the Russians should be deterred by things like this. Unfortunately, the messaging coming from the administration is not consistent. There's things, I mean, frankly, most of the things that come from the Pentagon are messages that the Kremlin would love to hear. So I hope that this will signal perhaps a realization by the administration that Russia is the enemy. They're the threat against America's interests, as well as those of our allies, and that we're prepared to stand with our allies and deter Russia. And speaking of the messaging coming out from the Washington administration, President Trump has stated that Russia should make a deal and sign a joint G7 communique as well on Ukraine's support. Do you think that this is a genuine shift, or is Trump just playing the room? Well, I frankly was surprised that the president agreed to a fairly strong statement from the G7, because he has not been willing to, he can't even say that Russia is the aggressor, that they're the bad guy. He hadn't been able to do that. So I was pleased to see that he at least agreed with the other members of the G7 about support for Ukraine. But we'll see. We'll see if all the sanctions are in place and enforced. We'll see if the United States decides to actually help Ukraine. I have to say, unfortunately, I'm skeptical. The messaging that comes from Secretary Hegseth, from the president, from the vice president, is not encouraging in terms of a strong support for Ukraine by the United States. What we should be hearing is the president and all of his team saying that it is in the best interest of America and it is in the best interest of Europe that Ukraine defeats Russia and that Russia has to live inside their own borders. That's what's in the best interest of all of us. But unfortunately, I don't imagine that we're going to hear something as clear as that from the president. On a positive note, though, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seems to be quite positive, claiming that Donald Trump responded positively to Ukraine's request for a license to manufacture Patriot interceptors domestically, which is one of the major outcomes when it comes to the G7 summit, the decision to increase deliveries of air defense assets to Ukraine. How big of a difference would that make for Ukraine's current air defense capabilities? For ballistic missile defense, there's nothing in the world that's better than the Patriot. So I hope that this happens. But I'm just skeptical. Based on what I have seen and heard coming from the administration over the past year and a half, I would be skeptical and I would be happy to be proven wrong if he does, in fact, allow the vendors who make all the different components of Patriot to do that inside Ukraine and, frankly, inside other countries to expand the capacity for production, because we just can't make them fast enough right now. So I would be all for that. But I think that we should also be clear-eyed that even if the president today said, yes, it's approved, let's get started, it would be quite some time before there would be actual new Patriot interceptors showing up in Ukraine. It will take a lot of time because you have to have a very trained workforce. The supply chain is complicated. So I hope it happens, but I'm just skeptical. It certainly is not going to do something before the end of this year. Let's move our attention to the recent strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. Ukraine has spent the past week systematically cutting Crimea off of the highway. Seventy-one percent of it is destroyed, and we also saw two strikes deep inside Moscow as well. Are we seeing the tide of this war turning? The fact that Russians are being targeted within the capital, does that signal some sort of shift? Well, first of all, absolutely. The momentum has shifted in favor of Ukraine. I mean, after 12 years of war, remember this started in 2014, after 12 years of war, Russia still only controls about 20 percent. The Black Sea fleet has been defeated. The only thing that Russia can continue to do is to have their soldiers killed on the ground and to kill innocent Ukrainian civilians with their drone and missile attacks against Ukrainian cities. So that's the best that the Russians can do. And I don't see that getting any better. On the other hand, Ukraine has figured out that their path to victory for them is going to be the destruction of Russia's oil and gas infrastructure so that Russia cannot export oil and gas to China and India and other customers. And without that, I think it will be very difficult for Russia to continue to sustain this war because their resources come from the sale of oil and gas. So I think this as a strategic priority, this is the right way to go. It would be better, of course, if Poland and Germany and other countries would stop the Shadow Fleet vessels carrying Russian oil and gas out through the Baltic Sea, for example, and the Black Sea to their customers. This would be a very important contribution. The other thing that's important is that Ukraine also has figured out using their mid-range drones that good out to like 200 kilometers that are wrecking Russia's logistics infrastructure from Crimea up through the southern and southeastern part area of operations of Russian forces. And even in modern warfare, you still have to have fuel, ammunition, food, repair parts, all the things. And this is where Ukraine really is delivering devastating blows. All right. Thank you so much for your input and insight. Really appreciate it. And thanks for being with us on TVP World. Thanks for the privilege. Cheers. And thank you for tuning into this edition of World News Tonight. But for more news, update and commentary, please stay tuned to TVP World.