NATO warplanes roared into the skies over Eastern Europe after Vladimir Putin unleashed one of the most savage overnight bombardments of Ukraine this year. The brutal show of defiance came just as

Poland scrambled fighter jets and an early warning aircraft, and put its ground air defenses and radar systems on "the highest state" of alert.

Polish and allied air forces were activated as Russia struck targets in Ukraine, prompting temporary closures of Radom and Lublin airports.

This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission. Former NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says the

Locally manufactured armored vehicles are proving more effective for some Ukrainian units than their Western-built counterparts, a report says.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said that the decision to provide Ukraine with specific types of weapons is entirely up to each individual ally and noted that the provision of Tomahawk missiles remains under consideration by US President Donald Trump.

The U.K. is prepared to deploy British troops to Ukraine to secure a future peace deal in the country, British Defense Secretary John Healey has said, ahead of a planned meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov says Ukraine is blocking peace negotiations, as Russia warns of mounting militarization and internal contradictions in the EU, and stresses it will ensure secure transit to Kaliningrad despite Lithuanian and Polish border threats;