In today’s newsletter: More than a dozen drones entered Polish airspace, the first time in the war a Nato country has been pulled into direct military action – and an escalation Europe can’t ignore

Good morning. Less than a month ago, European leaders were sitting in the White House with Donald Trump, sketching out a path to peace for Ukraine. Fast forward to Wednesday and the Polish prime minister warned that the prospect of a large military conflict is “closer than at any time since the second world war”.

This is because Vladimir Putin has been drawing up his own plans, flying more than a dozen drones into Polish airspace. It is the closest the fighting has come to European homes and the first time a Nato country has been pulled into direct military action since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.

US | Charlie Kirk, founder of rightwing youth activist group Turning Point USA and a close ally of Donald Trump, was fatally shot on Wednesday afternoon while speaking at Utah Valley University near Salt Lake City.

UK news | Keir Starmer was urged to sack Peter Mandelson as British ambassador to the US after more details emerged of his close friendship and business dealings with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Europe | A joint operation between several central European countries has identified an alleged Belarusian spy ring that reportedly included a former deputy head of Moldovan intelligence.

Iran | Tehran and the UN nuclear inspectorate have reached an agreement that will allow inspectors to return to inspect all of Iran’s nuclear sites, including those bombed by Israel and the US in June.

Boris Johnson | The publisher of the Washington Post, Will Lewis, is facing fresh questions over his independence after a cache of leaked files revealed he gave extensive support to Boris Johnson as a secret political adviser when Johnson was prime minister.