MOSCOW, September 30. /TASS/. Ukraine urged European countries to create a joint "air shield" against Russian threats; the United States and Israel reached agreement on Trump’s Gaza peace plan, while Hamas insists on full Israeli troop withdrawal; and India is weighing the acquisition of additional Russian S-400 or next-generation S-500 missile systems despite US and NATO pressure. These stories topped Tuesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Izvestia: Moscow condemns Zelensky’s call for European 'air shield', warns of escalation
Europe continues to be pulled further into the conflict in Ukraine. Against the backdrop of a series of drone incidents in Poland, the Warsaw Security Forum opened with a proposal from Vladimir Zelensky: he urged European countries to set up a joint "air shield" against supposed Russian threats. In Moscow, the idea was faced with sharp criticism. This initiative only serves to entangle Europe as a party to the conflict, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Grigory Karasin told Izvestia.
Zelensky is seeking to enlist as many European countries as possible into the confrontation with Russia because he can no longer depend on his own resources, Karasin told Izvestia. "Zelensky repeatedly attempts to draw as many [political - Izvestia] forces as possible into the confrontation with us, with Russia, because he understands that it is already too late to depend on his own strength and on common sense. All the laws, all the provisions of the UN Charter, all the principles of common sense have already been violated by him and his team. Therefore, this [proposal for an ‘air shield’ - Izvestia] is nothing but a series of provocative schemes," the senator emphasized.
