Don't Whine, Russia

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Global Recap
September 22, 2025 • Read in: 10 minutes

Hi Global Recap readers,

Do you remember when President Trump was laughed at during his first UN General Assembly speech?

  • He railed against globalism and endless wars back then. Ironically, many of those same issues now dominate political debates, and leaders worldwide are scrambling to answer the voices driving them (cough, PM Starmer).

  • However, with the NATO secretary general calling him “daddy” and world leaders flocking to the White House, Trump 2.0 is landing differently.

Tomorrow morning, he addresses the UN again. So be on the lookout for that—the response from other leaders will be worth noting this time around.

🌐 WORLD
Fast Scroll News

🇵🇱 Poland to Shoot Down Jets

"I have only one request to the Russian government: If another missile or aircraft enters our space without permission, deliberately or by mistake, and gets shot down and the wreckage falls on NATO territory, please don't come here to whine about it," Radoslaw Sikorski said during an emergency session of the UN Security Council in New York on Monday.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told Moscow not to whine if its jets or missiles get shot down after crossing NATO airspace.

  • Incident: On September 19, three Russian military jets entered Estonian airspace for 12 minutes before Italian F-35s forced them out.

  • Pattern: Earlier this month, 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace and were destroyed by NATO fighters, with a separate drone incursion into Romania.

  • Policy: Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated Poland will shoot down any aircraft violating its territory without prior discussion.

  • Evidence: Estonia’s Foreign Minister also displayed radar printouts and close-up photos showing the jets armed with missiles and combat-ready.

  • Rebuttal: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed Estonia’s claims as “empty” and lacking objective monitoring data.

📌 Context: Seven EU states will meet with the European Commission and Ukraine on Friday to discuss a coordinated "drone wall" along Europe's eastern border.

🇩🇰 Drones Halt Airports

Speaking of airspace violations, two major Nordic hubs just closed their airspace after large, unidentified drones hovered dangerously close, freezing departures and rerouting incoming flights.

  • Timing: Copenhagen Airport shut down at 8:30 p.m. local time on Monday, reopening just after midnight, while Oslo Airport halted operations on Tuesday morning.

  • Scale: In Denmark, two to three drones lingered for hours, forcing arrivals into Gothenburg and Malmö, and cancellations across the board.

  • Arrests: Oslo Police detained two foreign nationals for flying drones over restricted zones, including the Akershus Fortress, but found no link to the Copenhagen incident.

  • Investigation: Both countries launched police probes, with no public identification of suspects in Denmark as of late Monday night.

📌 Context: Civilian drone incursions near airports can trigger immediate airspace closures under European aviation safety rules, given the risk of collision and disruption to tightly scheduled flight corridors.

🇮🇹 Italy Halts Over Gaza

Tens of thousands across Italy just blocked ports, train stations, and schools in a nationwide strike against Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

  • Scale: Demonstrations erupted in at least 75 municipalities, from Milan to Palermo, with organizers claiming 50,000 in Milan alone and police in Bologna counting over 10,000 there.

  • Action: Dock workers in Genoa and Livorno shut down ports over fears Italy is aiding arms transfers to Israel.

  • Clashes: In Milan, protesters armed with batons smashed at the central station entrance, threw smoke bombs, and faced pepper spray. Bologna police used a water cannon to clear roadblocks.

  • Politics: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni dismissed recognizing Palestinian statehood as premature, warning it could create a false sense of resolution.

  • Casualties: The Israeli military’s Gaza campaign has killed more than 65,000 in 23 months, with a UN commission accusing Israel of genocide.

📌 Context: The strike, led by grassroots unions under the slogan "Let’s Block Everything," demanded Italy suspend military and commercial ties with Israel and back the Global Sumud Flotilla’s bid to break the Gaza naval blockade.

🇫🇷 Macron Links Embassy

France will not open a Palestinian embassy until Hamas frees the hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

  • Condition: President Emmanuel Macron told CBS News that the release of all remaining hostages is a non-negotiable prerequisite for any embassy opening.

  • Timing: His statement came as Britain, Canada, Australia, and soon Portugal announced formal recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in New York.

  • Reaction: Israel’s President Isaac Herzog warned the recognitions would not free hostages or advance peace, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared no Palestinian state would be allowed west of the Jordan River.

  • Response: Hamas welcomed the recognitions as a victory for Palestinian rights but demanded they be paired with halting the war in Gaza and stopping annexation in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

📌 Context: The October 7 Hamas attack killed 1,219 people in Israel and led to 251 hostages being taken, triggering Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza.

🇦🇫 AFGHANISTAN
Taliban Rejects Bagram Demand

Taliban takes control of Afghan presidential palace after the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021.

Afghanistan’s Taliban government has flatly refused Donald Trump’s push to hand over the Bagram air base, calling the idea a violation of sovereignty and warning that not even an inch of Afghan soil is negotiable.

Here's a recap of what happened over the weekend, along with the context. 👇🏼

Trump’s Warning

President Trump is framing Bagram as a critical asset for American oversight in Asia.

  • Last week, Trump told Afghanistan via social media: “If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!”

Why? China

  • He argued during a UK visit that the base is “one of the biggest air bases in the world” and only an hour from where China makes its nuclear weapons.

  • His comments link the base’s location directly to US monitoring of Chinese strategic sites.

The Base at the Center

As the President said, it's not just about getting Bagram back because of its size, but because of its strategic significance and symbolic weight.

  • Located about 30 miles north of Kabul, Bagram was the largest US military installation in Afghanistan during the 20‑year war.

  • It served as the main hub for operations against the Taliban and al‑Qaeda, and as a detention site where thousands were held without charge.

  • The Taliban regained control in 2021 after the US and allied withdrawal, marking a major shift in regional power dynamics.

Taliban’s Response

Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Defense, Fasihuddin Fitrat.

Afghan officials are using this moment to underline their independence.

  • Fasihuddin Fitrat, chief of staff at the Ministry of Defense, told Tolo News: “No agreement over even an inch of our soil is possible.”

  • The Taliban’s statement reaffirmed a “balanced, economy‑oriented foreign policy” grounded in Islamic principles and mutual interests.

  • They cited the 2020 Doha Agreement, which they say obligates Washington not to use or threaten force or interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.

📌 Context: The Doha Agreement was signed between the US and the Taliban in February 2020, setting terms for the US withdrawal and future non‑interference, though its interpretation remains contested.

Regional Reactions

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.

China is making its position clear while avoiding direct involvement.

  • Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, “China respects Afghanistan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. The future of Afghanistan should be in the hands of the Afghan people.”

  • This aligns with Beijing’s broader stance of non‑interference, while quietly noting the base’s proximity to Chinese territory.

What’s Next

The standoff is unlikely to be resolved quickly.

  • The Taliban is holding firm, and no talks are underway to transfer control.

  • The dispute could shape US‑Afghan relations for years, especially in the context of strategic competition in South and Central Asia.

  • Washington’s next move will signal whether this is a rhetorical fight or a prelude to concrete action.