Poland scrambles aircraft after Russia strikes Ukraine

Polish and allied aircraft were deployed early ⁠this morning to ensure the safety of Polish airspace after Russia ‍launched airstrikes targeting western Ukraine near the border with Poland, the armed forces of the NATO-member country said. An F-16 fighter aircraft flies in Polish airspace during military exercises in September Flags form part of a memorial set up in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, seen earlier this month US President Donald Trump has been pushing for a peace agreement for months "Fighter jets were scrambled, and ground-based air-defence and radar reconnaissance ⁠systems were put on heightened readiness," the ⁠operational command of the armed forces said ⁠in a ‍post ⁠on social media. "These measures ‍are preventive in ⁠nature and are aimed at securing and protecting the airspace, especially in areas adjacent ‍to the threatened regions." Ukrainian military said Russia had launched an early morning ⁠air attack on Kyiv just days after a US-led ‍round of peace talks in Miami ended. "Air defence forces are working to eliminate the threat in the sky over the capital," the Kyiv military administration said on Telegram, urging residents to remain in shelters ⁠until the all-clear is given. Officials did not immediately ⁠report casualties or damage. The full-scale of the attack was not ⁠immediately ‍known. The ⁠weekend talks in Miami brought together US ‍officials with Ukrainian and European ⁠delegations, alongside separate contacts with Russian representatives, as Washington tested whether there was scope for a settlement to end ‍Russia's war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said initial drafts of US proposals for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia meet many of Kyiv's demands, But he suggested that neither side in the almost four-year war is likely to get everything it wants in talks on reaching a settlement. "Overall, it looks quite solid at this stage," the Ukrainian leader said of recent talks with US officials who are trying to steer the neighbouring countries toward compromises. "There are some things we are probably not ready for, and I’m sure there are things the Russians are not ready for either," Mr Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv. US President Donald Trump has for months been pushing for a peace agreement. However, the negotiations have run into sharply conflicting demands from Moscow and Kyiv. But US envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday he held "productive and constructive" talks in Florida with Ukrainian and European representatives. "We are talking. It’s going OK," Mr Trump said while on holiday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Asked if he planned to speak to Mr Zelensky or Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr Trump did not say, offering only of the fighting, "I’d like to see it stopped". Mr Zelensky said that "nearly 90%" of Ukraine’s demands have been incorporated into the draft agreements. The backbone of the proposed deal is a 20-point plan, he said. There is also a framework document on security guarantees between Ukraine, European countries, and the US, as well as a separate document on bilateral security guarantees granted to Ukraine by...

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