NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich told Reuters that NATO is "stepping up information and intelligence sharing in response to hybrid attacks." He also called the Danish intelligence assessment warning against "escalating" hybrid threats from Russia and potential military incidents involving NATO countries on the eastern flank "pretty balanced." So, the top general's review of a report about potential casualties and sabotage is essentially a shrug emoji with a security clearance.
Grynkewich told Reuters that "we are all eastern flank countries these days," given the nature and range of threats to NATO. He added, "I am confident I have the authority now that I need to take action to deter any aggression against the alliance." The top NATO commander in Europe also said the US would continue to provide "critical but more limited capabilities" to the alliance as Europeans take up a greater role in defending the continent - which is a diplomatic way of saying the Americans are slowly backing out of the room while the Europeans discover just how expensive their own front door is.
Meanwhile, the Greek prime minister has said a deal can still be reached to return the Parthenon marbles with "political will" but his country will not accept a loan in the style of the Bayeux tapestry's visit from France. Writing for the Guardian, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece "cannot accept any arrangement that would require it to recognise the British Museum's ownership of the sculptures, or a scheme that would mean we 'borrow' parts of our own monument." He made the intervention weeks after the British Museum director, Nicholas Cullinan, told the Financial Times that France's 10-month loan of the Bayeux tapestry to the British Museum could provide a model for a deal. The director said there was "no cookie-cutter template" but the exchange was an example of a successful international partnership. Mitsotakis counters that the Parthenon marbles situation is completely different as half of the frieze is in Athens - and no one would suggest cutting the Bayeux tapestry in two. He pointed out that Andy Burnham once backed returning the marbles, saying "political will and courage" would be needed but Greece would not accept anything less than "reunification" of the marbles in Athens. He said this could become "the foundation of a broad and enduring cultural partnership between our countries, creating new opportunities for exhibitions, scholarship, conservation and exchanges between Greek and British museums" which was "the prize." It comes amid speculation about the status of talks between the British Museum and the Greek government about the return of the antiquities, with the Telegraph reporting they were on the brink of collapse. So, the marbles remain in diplomatic limbo, which is at least historically consistent.
In other news, the president of the German car industry trade body has for the first time explicitly endorsed new tariffs on Chinese car imports. It is a significant about turn for the auto industry which has previously opposed barriers to trade with China and underlines its nervousness about the future of German car manufacturing in the face of a booming Chinese car industry. Hildegard Müller told Handelsblatt that trade defence measures could be deployed once competition has been distorted beyond a certain point, such as in cases of "proven unfair behaviour." She emphasised that China remains an "important sales and sourcing market" and a "significant innovation hub" for the German automotive industry which has significant manufacturing interests in China including 20 Volkswagen Group production lines. But she warned that the economic environment has changed considerably in recent years saying trade protection instruments "can be used once a certain level of competitive distortion is reached." The paper hints strongly at potential tariffs on hybrids. Where existing rules "fall short," "targeted new instruments" should also be considered. Necessary adjustments should be made "promptly", the VDA says.
The VDA's position is in sharp contrast to its position two years ago when it vociferously opposed tariffs imposed by the European Union, a cause that was taken so seriously by the government that it too broke ranks with other EU allies and voted against tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Ultimately the majority in the bloc of 27 countries prevailed and extra tariffs of up to 35% were imposed on Chinese EV imports in October 2024. In the internal document, dated 16 September, the VDA describes "WTO-compliant trade defence instruments" as not only legitimate but "necessary" in cases of proven distortions of competition. Furthermore, the VDA questions the effectiveness of existing European instruments with tariffs failing to take account of Chinese hybrid EVs. Exports of hybrids have rocketed since 2024 as the Chinese industry sought to get around tariffs with pressure now mounting on the European Commission to impose safeguards against the surge to protect the European car sector. Brussels has asked China to voluntarily commit to reducing exports of hybrids but is known to be considering quotas if Beijing does not agree. The timing of the paper is significant, coming exactly two weeks before the EU's trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič travels to Beijing to meet commerce minister Wang Wengtao to try and hammer out a trade detente that could avert a full scale trade war. On Thursday, French industry minister Sebastién Martin warned that upcoming legislation to protect European industries against China was urgent. Its Made in Europe legislation, the Industrial Accelerator Act, is being discussed at a summit of industry ministers in Brussels today, with a view to getting the protectionist legislation over the line by the end of the year. "Manufacturers are waiting; they want us to take action. They don't want us to just talk; they want us to act. So it's time to take action." Last week European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said China's surplus, now running at over €1bn a day, had reached an "unsustainable" "tipping point" that was threatening to deindustrialise Europe.
Separately, Spanish newspaper El Mundo claimed that the US has warned Spain, France and Italy against possible Russian drone attack from the Mediterranean sea in the next year in a bid to disrupt their upcoming elections and discourage from supporting Ukraine. The paper said the warning - which it claims was issued by the CIA, and relayed to Lithuania - focused on a jet-powered Russian drone Gerbera, which could cause disruption in the southern European NATO states. The suggestion is the drones could be launched from Russian ships, hidden in shipping containers. El Mundo suggested the attacks on the three southern countries could be timed to coincide with their upcoming elections in 2027, as Russia seeks to put pressure on European capitals to stop supporting Ukraine. The paper noted that the timing of the warning coincided with the French president Emmanuel Macron's decision to call an emergency meeting with all party leaders to discuss the Russian threat. The Guardian has not independently verified the claims made by El Mundo.
EU commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier confirmed the bloc "seen the reports" in the media, but said "there is no surprise from our side." "We know that our airspace is being tested and has been violated several times," he added, saying that "there are several hybrid attacks going on, targeting many of our member states. This is precisely why we have also proposed … the drone defence initiative, the air shield, the space shield - … to increase the resilience of our member states." Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto pushed back against the claims made by El Mundo, saying that "we already live in difficult and nervous times and there is no need to add fuel to the fire." Italian deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini called the report "irresponsible" and calls for "calm, composure" and "not alarmism that fuels tensions."
Meanwhile, Poland's prime minister Donald Tusk said two Polish border crossings with Ukraine had to be briefly evacuated this morning amid Russian attacks on western Ukraine. Speaking at a press conference alongside Bulgarian prime minister Rumen Radev, Tusk said: "It's a real tragedy of our times, because it's not the first time this has happened: whenever I speak to one of our partners here in Warsaw and mention just how aggressive Russia's behaviour is and what a problem this poses for Poland too, it is precisely at that very moment that the Russians decide to prove it. Just as we were speaking a moment ago, Ukraine was attacked again near the border with Poland, and once more we had to evacuate the border crossings at Hrubieszów and Dorohusk. This situation requires us to act very decisively here in Poland, to cooperate with Ukraine, but also to warn Europe and our European partners that these are truly difficult times and that we must prepare thoroughly for the coming weeks and months. Autumn and winter could indeed prove critical."
Tusk also responded to this morning's suspected sabotage attack on a Starlink installation in central Poland. "As you know, Poland is trying to help Ukraine in collaboration with SpaceX, so that communications are guaranteed - and we've had, well, a strange incident involving the arson attack on this infrastructure. It's too early to say and I don't like to jump to conclusions without being 100% certain what constitutes sabotage and what is an accident, but it looks bad - and I'd like you to know the conditions under which we have to work."
The Danish defence intelligence service has warned about "escalating" threat from Russia, expecting hybrid attacks on NATO allies in the coming months seeking to disrupt everyday life through cyberattacks and sabotage acts with "high risk" of casualties. The report warned that Russia will seek to disrupt European support for Ukraine or prevent it from reaching Ukraine. The service is expecting "more frequent attacks" with "greater consequences for the targeted countries," including attempts to cripple critical infrastructure or sabotage attacks that "carry a high risk" of casualties. The assessment concluded there is "a low but growing" risk of a Russian "limited military attack" against a neighbouring country in a bid to "redirect European resources away from supporting Ukraine and to sow division within NATO." Any such attack could take form of an isolated strike with long-range weapon or a "false-flag" operation using Ukrainian drones. The service concluded it remained "highly unlikely" that Russia would launch an outright invasion of a NATO country, but it said it "cannot be ruled out." But Russia could see the next few years as a "window of opportunity" to act against European NATO allies, particularly if it concluded the US response is not certain. The report comes amid growing warnings from several European leaders, including Polish prime minister Donald Tusk, and other intelligence services across Europe.
The full Danish defence intelligence service report is now out. The assessment includes a series of highly alarming warnings about Russia "escalating" hybrid war against NATO allies with "greater consequences for the targeted countries than in the past," including a risk of casualties. "Russia has intensified its use of sabotage, destructive cyber attacks and is attacking targets in Europe with drones." "Russia is under more pressure than it has been at any other point during the war against Ukraine. Ukraine's sustained long‑range attacks are causing still more extensive damage deep inside Russia. Russia is suffering heavy losses for marginal territorial gains in Ukraine. At the same time, the Russian economy is on the brink of a major crisis, driven by military expenditures, international sanctions and Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure." The assessment said there was "no prospect of Russia achieving any major breakthrough in the war against Ukraine over the next six months," but president Vladimir Putin is… [article truncated]