Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has said the alliance is 'ready to defend every inch' of its territory after a Russian drone struck an apartment building in the Romanian city of Galați during an overnight attack on neighbouring Ukraine. The incident injured two people and prompted swift condemnation from the alliance.
Rutte wrote on social media after a call with Romanian president Nicuşor Dan: 'Russia’s reckless behaviour is a danger to us all. I affirmed that Nato stands ready to defend every inch of allied territory.' Dan convened an emergency meeting of the country’s supreme council of national defence and the foreign ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador.
In other developments, Sweden announced it will donate 16 Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine by next year, with Ukraine set to purchase an initial 20 of the latest model. The announcement came as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited an airbase in Uppsala, north of Stockholm.
Meanwhile, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has ordered the army to seize control of 70% of the Gaza Strip, threatening to undermine the fragile ceasefire. Under the US-brokered deal in October, Israel controlled 53% of the territory, but forces have since advanced westward, expanding a no man's land where they claim the right to open fire on perceived threats.
