Former CIA Director David Petraeus:

Every month, more Russian soldiers are now being killed or wounded than Russia is able to mobilize.

Still, Russia is a powerful adversary. Who would have thought that a country could absorb such enormous losses?

NEW: Plaid Cymru, the SNP and Sinn Féin have signed a memorandum pledging closer cooperation and arguing that Scotland, Wales and Ireland have the right to determine their own futures.

The parties say “Westminster’s time is coming to an end” and that constitutional change is gaining momentum.

They say the future of their nations belongs in the EU and insist that no Westminster government has the right to block self-determination.

Ukraine reportedly killed Lt. Gen. Sergei Milchakov — Hero of Russia, commander of the 51st Guards Combined Arms Army, the force that took Avdiivka and led the grinding push toward Pokrovsk.

Reports say he died August 27 in a missile strike on his command post in Donetsk.

Russia hasn't confirmed it.

WATCH: Russian drone pilots taping $2 magnetic compasses to their plywood Molniya UAVs to navigate when GPS/GLONASS gets jammed.

The camera tilts down to read the needle mid-flight.

Former CIA Director David Petraeus:

Putin is trying to restore the Soviet Union all the time. And I don’t think Lithuania will be next. Moldova is much more likely, because they are much weaker in this regard.

European countries are not ready. None of them has carried out the kind of revolutionary changes needed in their concepts of warfare, defense and security.

Germany says it is "increasingly concerned" about fuel prices as gasoline hits an all-time high of €2.27/liter and diesel nears €2.40.

Station operators warn €3 is conceivable.

Previous government relief measures had no lasting effect.

SPD leaders pushing for a fuel price cap; the CDU economy minister has rejected it so far.

WATCH: Jewish protester in Berlin detained after displaying a modified Israeli flag with the Star of David replaced by a rocket/missile outline.

German Foreign Minister Wadephul:

It is also clear that if we want to remain competitive in the future, we as the European Union must make our energy supply more independent and resilient.

It is important that all member states overcome their dependence on Russian energy step by step.

Because Russia has repeatedly used energy as a political instrument of pressure and will continue to do so in the future.

NATO's Rutte:

The strike on a passenger train in Ukraine yesterday shows how desperate Putin has become.

He thinks that he can stop us from supporting Ukraine and that he can undermine our unity. He is wrong.

Our answer is to increase support to Ukraine so it has what it needs to defend itself.

NATO's Rutte:

Russia continues to wage a brutal war of aggression against Ukraine at a staggering cost to Russia, with over 40,000 casualties per month.

Russia is struggling in Ukraine and continues to lash out with reckless and dangerous attacks, including on civilian infrastructure close to NATO.

NATO's Rutte on Kosovo:

Our long-term commitment to peace and security in Kosovo is there to stay.

NATO's Rutte:

If you are a young man in Russia and you join the fight, the chances are big that you will not return home because your president simply doesn’t care about your life.

He just wants to somehow continue this fight against Ukraine.

German Foreign Minister Wadephul:

Russia continues its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine and against Europe’s freedom.

This is about elementary principles — namely that borders in Europe must no longer be moved by force.

This conflict is about the European peace order itself.

Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland Sign 'Historic' Pact to Break Up UK

Leaders from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have signed an agreement asserting their right to self-determination and saying, "Westminster’s time is coming to an end."

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NATO's Rutte:

Putin knows very well that he will not be able to divide us. We have all the response options we need when it comes to hybrid threats.

It will not always be visible and public what we do. Some is public, some is not public, for reasons we cannot always disclose.

But I can assure you, we have all the response options.

Germany’s Chancellor Merz:

Most likely, we are seeing the most decisive moments — perhaps weeks or months — ahead of us in defending the freedom and peace of our continent.

If Russia succeeds, this will have unpredictable and unprecedented consequences for all of us, including Germany.

And that’s the reason why I’m standing here very firm, very clear, and not willing to go back one centimeter.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright says Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline will be back up and running “very soon.”

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright:

Iran has turned up their attempts to disrupt energy flows, and they’ve got a lot of missiles and a lot of drones.

So they have caused trouble in the short run. Certainly, they’ve spread fear in the short run.

I’m pretty confident you will see increased flows of oil and oil products through the strait in the coming weeks and in the coming months regardless of what Iran does.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright:

There’s been a huge disruption in Russian diesel exports.

They were a meaningful exporter of diesel. Today, they’re not exporting any.

Russia was a small exporter of gasoline. Now they’ve become a meaningful importer of gasoline.

EU countries failed to agree on extending sanctions against roughly 3,000 Russian individuals and companies, leaving ambassadors one day to reach a deal before the measures expire.

Slovakia is demanding the removal of Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the sanctions list while also resisting a proposal to extend sanctions from six months to 12 months.

Most EU capitals oppose removing anyone while Russian attacks on Ukraine continue.

Source: POLITICO

Zelensky:

We are working with manufacturers on a new generation of drone interceptors to counter Russian jet-powered Shahed drones.

Development and testing are underway.