Category: World

Speaking at the Valdai Forum in Moscow on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia would not supply its diesel to global energy markets until sanctions against Moscow are lifted. Putin added that Ukraine had “partially achieved its objectives” with strikes on Russian oil refineries, which he said had cost Russia one percent of its gross domestic product.

According to the Guardian, Ukraine has continued its refinery strikes in defiance of US pressure. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv struck an oil facility in Russia’s southern Samara region overnight. President Trump urged Zelenskyy in a private phone call to halt the attacks and has repeatedly suggested in public that Ukraine’s strikes are to blame for the squeeze on global fuel supplies.

Reports indicate Britain is in talks with European allies over releasing emergency diesel stockpiles after Trump threatened to cut off US supplies of the fuel. Britain is already concerned about energy supply as winter approaches.

Economic analysts warn the diesel crunch could fuel inflationary pressures worldwide, while European airlines have already extended flight cancellations amid the disruption.

The Trump administration announced it would leave key NATO members out of a meeting on the alliance’s future scheduled to take place in Poland next month. According to Politico and AP reporting, the sidelined nations include the United Kingdom, France and the Baltic countries.

The invite list reportedly includes Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands and Poland. With the summit focused on the future of NATO, the decision to divide the alliance has alarmed Western diplomats. Trump had previously threatened to draw up a “naughty and nice list” of alliance members.

On the same day, Russia added to NATO’s concerns by threatening nuclear war. The Kremlin stated that Moscow would not hesitate to retaliate with nuclear strikes if NATO decided to cut off the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

Moscow said the warning followed “information” that NATO was preparing an air and naval blockade of Kaliningrad and its surrounding region. Kaliningrad is a small Russian coastal territory sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania.

The exclusion of allies from the NATO future meeting and Russia’s threats have deepened uncertainty over European security, with analysts warning of heightened diplomatic tension in the coming weeks.

The United States is preparing to send at least 9,000 more troops to the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing American officials. The deployment would include a third aircraft carrier support group and an additional Marine expeditionary unit.

According to the report, President Donald Trump is considering renewing strikes on Iran after November’s midterm elections, as tensions with Tehran continue to escalate.

The development follows remarks by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday that Iran had loaded “zero crude oil” onto tankers in September, and that “Operation Economic Outcast” was cutting off Tehran’s most critical source of revenue.

Trump has also said Washington could ask its European allies to release strategic diesel reserves to curb prices driven up by the conflict with Iran.

Meanwhile, US authorities arrested Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, a Department of Energy employee, on charges of attempting to provide material support to the Houthi militia. The 51-year-old is scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Friday.

Tracking data shows flights at Tehran’s main international airport have fallen by 42 percent since the US ban on Iranian airlines, though some popular routes remain in operation.

Flydubai flight FZ1073, en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after a confrontation inside the cockpit. All 174 people on board survived; Captain Smit Machchhar was hospitalised with stab wounds.

According to Israeli officials, the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to interfere with the aircraft’s controls in an apparent bid to crash it. Flight-tracking data cited by Reuters showed the aircraft dropping nearly 14,000 feet in about 30 seconds before the situation was brought under control.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that despite his injuries, Captain Machchhar fought back and managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to enter and overpower the attacker. Calling him a “true hero”, Netanyahu said the pilot’s bravery saved the lives of 174 people, most of them Israeli nationals.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu also praised Machchhar’s courage, and US President Donald Trump commended him as well. The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said the pilot is being treated at a hospital in Tabuk and is in stable condition.

Israeli officials said the attacker, an Omani national serving as co-pilot, was taken into custody by Saudi authorities and an investigation is under way. Flydubai, however, said the cause of the incident remained unclear and cautioned against “premature speculation”.

Following the incident, Israel announced tighter checks on pilots operating flights into the country. The passengers reached Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on a replacement flydubai aircraft more than ten hours later.