Trump faces backlash over Putin G20 invite as CIA warns of Russian sea drone attacks on Europe

Donald Trump is facing backlash after inviting Russian president Vladimir Putin to a December G20 meeting in Miami, for what would be his second US visit since the war began.

"It's clearly, I think, the wrong path to normalise people who are starting wars, who are going against the UN charter, who are killing and giving orders to kill civilians," said the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, speaking to Sky News.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Wednesday it would be an opportunity for Putin to engage with other world leaders and that the US hopes he will accepted.

The Kremlin said Russia was "grateful and appreciative" for the invitation and will "make a decision".

It comes after a report in El Mundo that the CIA has warned of a Russian plan to attack Spain, France or Italy using sea drones.

European foreign ministries were issued a detailed report from the agency after CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow.

Concerns are growing that Putin could seek to ramp up Russia’s targeting of Nato countries in Europe as it looks to prod the western alliance’s defences.

CIA warns Russia planning to attack Spain, France or Italy - report

The CIA has warned European governments of Russian plans to attack Spain, France or Italy using sea drones, according to a report in Spanish outlet El Mundo.

Foreign ministries in the three countries were warned in a report that followed CIA director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow

A source told the newspaper: "They will use drones launched from the sea, concealed in a container on a ship. It is not difficult at all."

France, Spain and Italy are being targeted because they are holding elections next year, the report said, with Moscow potentially looking to sow political division as right-wing political forces, that are softer in their stance towards Russia, surge.

The attacks would not be designed to cause major damage, but instead to disrupt logistics,such as by shutting down and airport, or to demonstrate weaknesses in Europe’s defences far from the Russian border, says El Mundo.

Moscow has repeatedly stated that European countries assisting Ukraine by providing weapons are legitimate targets of Russian attack.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Indian foreign minister ⁠S Jaishankar discussed on Wednesday US measures that could be leveled against countries that engage economically with Russia and Iran.

Last week, Trump signed the bill called "Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act ⁠of 2026," named after deceased South Carolina Republican ​US ⁠Senator Lindsey Graham.

Rubio and Jaishankar "discussed sanctions that could be leveled against states that engage ​economically with ⁠Russia and Iran," the State Department ‌said in a statement after their meeting in New York.

Jaishankar wrote on X he "reiterated India's interests and concerns with regard to SRIA."

India has previously told Washington that new ‌measures to levy tariffs over the purchase of Russian oil ‌could impact bilateral ties.

In pictures: Kharkiv battered in overnight Russian air attack

A fire broke out on Wednesday evening at a ground-based Starlink satellite communications station in central Poland providing connectivity for the region, including Ukraine, deputy prime minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said.

He added that the systems were now operational.

Poland has been on heightened alert for acts of sabotage since Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in 2022. Russia has repeatedly denied any such action.

"The fire engulfed the power station and the generator; it is clear that this act of sabotage was deliberately designed to disable the station — effectively cutting off the internet connection... and disrupting internet access for various institutions, including the Ukrainian military," he said.

"While everything is operational today, we must recognise —as Prime Minister Tusk recently noted — that this is an element of hybrid warfare."

He added that while it was not established that Russia was responsible for the fire, "many signs suggest this aligns with Russia’s new doctrine of attack".

Ukraine has transferred two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting for Russia to South Korea, Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address to the United Nations General Assembly.

“Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea,” the Ukrainian president said, revealing that the prisoners had left Ukrainian custody.

South Korea stopped short of publicly confirming the transfer.

“It is difficult to confirm whether the individuals have been handled, the timing and route, or the specific details about the consultations between the two countries,” a foreign ministry official said, citing the issue of their safety.

Czech air force JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets were scrambled overnight for combat air patrol over Poland, the Czech army said on Thursday.

The army said on X that there was no need to use force during the mission and the jets have returned to their home base.

Six people have been killed in a Russian attack on a farm in Ukraine’s northern Kharkiv region early on Thursday, the region’s governor has said.

Another 12 people were injured in the attack, according to authorities.

"Two men and four women have been killed," Oleh Syniehubov, head of Kharkiv regional military administration, said earlier on Telegram. "We currently know of eight people who have been injured – they are farm workers."

He later revised the injury toll to 12.

German foreign minister Johann Wadephul called for a full and immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, starting in the Black Sea, to safeguard grain and food supplies.

"Ukraine had a very good grain harvest this year. But because of the Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports, it can't be delivered to the world.

“Russia is thereby exacerbating hunger and starvation worldwide," he said in a statement published on Thursday.

Moscow has rebuked prime minister Andy Burnham over a UN General Assembly speech in which he accused Russia of spreading falsehoods, arguing that his comments will do nothing to ease tensions across Europe.

Addressing the summit on Tuesday, Burnham announced London would establish a new National Centre for Information Defence, singling out Moscow over what he termed disinformation.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov characterised the approach taken by Burnham and other European nations as fundamentally flawed.

"Well, the British prime minister said nothing new. That is the first point. The second is that stoking anti-Russian sentiment and fostering an atmosphere of total Russophobia is what Britain is doing. And now, presumably in unison with Britain, the Germans, the French and a number of other European states are doing the same thing," said Peskov.

"From our point of view, this is an utterly short-sighted policy. It in no way brings us any closer to any steps that might, in the long term, lead to a reduction in tensions and de-escalation on the European continent."

The prime minister unveiled plans for a new National Centre for Information Defence to tackle Russian information warfare as he addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Russia has previously been accused of using illicitly acquired documents about UK-US trade talks to try to influence the 2019 contest.

The new unit is initially being led out of the Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet, with the new centre working alongside intelligence agencies, government departments, the police and social media companies.

He told world leaders that the UK and its allies had been subjected to an “industrial-scale assault” by hostile states, including Russia, to “prey on people’s fear”.

The prime minister said misinformation had worsened in recent years, accusing Vladimir Putin’s agencies of interfering with the 2019 general election and falsifying newspaper articles.

“It is now ten years since Brexit, my country has lived through the destruction, and it has given us a unique perspective that I want to share with you today,” he told the UN.

He added: “In recent years we have seen an industrial-scale assault by hostile actors on the information environment in the UK and many of our allies. Russian agencies have used every means at their disposal to spread lies and disinformation and prey on people's fears.

“I know this is a shared challenge. So we are going to use our experience in the UK – and the fact that we have already been through this shock – to help other countries.”