31 August 2026

Lithuania's day is centred on infrastructure funding and domestic accountability. Juras Taminskas said in Vilnius that Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia must secure more EU money for Rail Baltica in the 2028–2034 budget.

The transport minister described Rail Baltica as a military mobility and resilience project, not just a transport link. He said the line is running four years late but called the delay minor, even as contractor disputes continue and fresh financing is still being sought. The Baltic states are also pushing for a dedicated EU budget line for the railway because current plans for military mobility and other infrastructure are not enough, in his view. The next key meeting on the EU budget is due in Dublin in the second half of September, and EU funds have so far covered up to 85% of eligible Rail Baltica costs.

Lithuania's Social Security and Labour Ministry is modelling an 8.51% rise in the base pension for next year. The Finance Ministry's draft budget would lift the average old-age pension to 750 euros from 670 euros, and to 810 euros from 720 euros for retirees with the required contribution record. Political scrutiny also remains on Laura Matjošaitytė, who advised Nemuno aušra before the 2024 parliamentary election but did not clearly disclose that work after joining Lithuania's election commission.

Over the past three days, Lithuanian firefighters tackled 80 fires and carried out 143 rescue operations. In Kaunas, one man was pulled from the Neris and handed to medics, while a man recovered from the Nemunas in Paštuva later died and a house fire in Kazlų Rūda destroyed a home.

The main late development was the fallout from the storms in Lithuania: some residents were still without electricity, while ESO opened applications for compensation and set out who can claim and how much. In Ukraine, a senior figure in Volodymyr Zelenskiy's circle was dismissed.

Kyiv faced an unprecedented series of Russian attacks over the past day. The war in Ukraine remains Europe’s central security story as Moscow broadens its strikes while Kyiv reports a fresh gain in the south.

Ukraine’s defence forces said today they had pushed Russian troops off the Kinburn Spit in Mykolaiv region, although Russian occupation of the wider peninsula still remains. Ukrainian sources had already said earlier this month that the area was under full fire control and that Russian supply lines had been cut. Analysts had estimated that more than 2,500 Russian troops were deployed on the spit. The immediate question is whether Kyiv can turn that battlefield gain into lasting control at the Dnipro-Bug estuary.

US senator Richard Blumenthal on Sunday urged the House to fast-track a Russia and Iran sanctions bill that has already passed the Senate. The measure would let the president impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas. Countries importing less than 15% of their gas from Russia, and reducing that dependence, would be exempt. The Kremlin also reacted to reports about a proposal by the CIA director on Ukraine.

Lithuanian defence minister Robertas Kaunas said in Vilnius today that Russia’s setbacks in Ukraine are raising the risk of hybrid attacks on NATO’s eastern flank. Baltic Sea countries had already agreed in Flensburg to create a rapid-response working group linking senior interior ministry officials for communications and joint threat assessments. German interior minister Alexander Dobrindt said drone attacks, cyberattacks, espionage, disinformation and arson against critical infrastructure had all risen sharply. Mario Draghi and Patrick Collison have also launched the Rhine Group, a circle of more than 50 politicians, economists, executives and academics in which Central and Eastern Europe is barely represented and former Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves is the only clearly identifiable figure from the region.

The United Arab Emirates on Sunday denied Iranian claims that Al Minhad air base in Dubai, where US troops are deployed, had been hit by missiles. Iran had earlier said it struck the base with drones after US attacks on launchers on Larak Island. The UAE said it intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters.

Late attention focused on a shift in Russia's attacks on Kyiv: drones are approaching the capital along unusual routes, and the Wall Street Journal said Moscow is changing its strike tactics to wear the city down. After the latest drone attacks, Kyiv is reviewing security protocols, while President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed Oleksandr Kamyshin from his post.

U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island by the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. Washington said the launchers were being prepared with sea mines, while Iran's Revolutionary Guards said several soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded.

Iran said it retaliated with missile strikes on U.S. sites in Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates said on Monday it intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters. Brent crude rose more than 2% and moved back above $90 a barrel as traders focused on the risk to shipping through the strait. U.S. stocks fell on Monday as higher oil prices and hawkish comments from Fed Chair Kevin Warsh pushed FedWatch odds of a September rate rise above 60%, from 41.4% a week earlier.

Kyiv came under Russian drone attack for a fifth straight day, with Ukraine counting nearly 1,500 drones launched over four days. Bloomberg and Lithuanian outlet LRT, citing people close to the Kremlin, said Vladimir Putin was weighing ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv and attacks on infrastructure in other cities after peace talks stalled.

In the United States, about 15 people remained missing or unaccounted for after a flash flood tore through Grand Canyon National Park. The flood hit Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area, damaged trail infrastructure by the Colorado River, killed one person and forced air evacuations for dozens of people.

Eleven people, including eight children, were killed in an explosion at a fireworks factory in India. Nvidia also said it will invest $3.5 billion in chipmaker MediaTek.