NATO-light security guarantees for Ukraine, Russian drone explosion in Poland - Wednesday brief
RBC-Ukraine collage
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proposed to European leaders a plan for providing security guarantees to Ukraine in a "NATO-light" format. Meanwhile, the Russian version of the Shahed drone exploded in Poland.
Read more about what happened on Wednesday, August 20.
Russian drone exploded in Poland
On the night of August 20, an explosion occurred in the Polish village of Osiny in the Lublin Voivodeship. An unidentified object fell on a cornfield and then exploded.
The police found charred metal and plastic fragments; there was no typical explosion crater. Fortunately, there were no injuries.
Poland suggests the Russian Shahed drone exploded on the territory of the country. Warsaw is preparing a protest to Russia.
Later, the Polish Ministry of Defense confirmed the explosion of a Russian drone near Lublin.
Meloni proposes 'NATO-light' security guarantees for Ukraine
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proposed to European leaders a plan for providing security guarantees to Ukraine in a collective assistance format that does not include NATO membership.
The "NATO-light" option falls far short of the Alliance's collective commitments set out in Article 5 of the NATO Treaty. However, it envisions that countries that have concluded bilateral agreements with Ukraine will promptly coordinate their actions in the event of an attack.
Thus, allies would be able to provide Kyiv with rapid and long-term defense support, economic assistance, as well as impose sanctions against Russia. However, it is unclear whether such plans imply the deployment of European troops to Ukraine.
Netherlands sends Patriot system to Poland to protect Ukraine’s logistics hub
The Netherlands is deploying two Patriot air defense systems and around 300 troops to Poland to guard the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) logistics hub. The systems will be relocated starting December 1 until June 1 next year.
