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The Swedish military confirmed on Friday that a drone it jammed near a French aircraft carrier this week was Russian<\/strong>, amid <\/strong>concerns Moscow is deploying hybrid war tactics against European nations that have backed Kyiv. On Thursday a Swedish navy vessel jammed the drone 13km (eight miles) from France\u2019s flagship, the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, while it was in the Oresund stretch of water, between Denmark and Sweden. French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot told journalists on the Charles de Gaulle on Friday that if Russian involvement was confirmed, \u201cthe only conclusion I would draw is that it would be a ridiculous provocation\u201d. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists that Barrot\u2019s was \u201cquite an absurd statement\u201d. The Oresund incident follows a decision by Romania on Thursday to scramble fighter jets when a drone breached its national airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine. Nato\u2019s easternmost countries have reported numerous drone sightings in recent months, with some blaming Russia.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Denmark\u2019s intelligence service warned Friday that a foreign power may try to sway voters in the country\u2019s general election<\/strong> on 24 March and that it was a priority target for Russia because of its support for Ukraine. Denmark\u2019s police and military intelligence services said in a joint statement the Scandinavian country\u2019s election campaign could be marked by disinformation and cyber-attacks. Prime minister Mette Frederiksen called the election on Thursday saying the shadow cast by Russia was one of Denmark\u2019s biggest threats.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Hungar<\/strong>ian prime minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n, who lags in most polls, is using Ukraine as a distraction from the country\u2019s fraying social services<\/strong>, rising cost of living and economic stagnation as Hungary heads to an election in April, policy analysts say. Orb\u00e1n\u2019s rightwing, populist government has used AI to generate billboard posters showing Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a> and EU officials with their hands outstretched. \u201cOur message to Brussels: We won\u2019t pay!\u201d the taxpayer-funded advert reads, echoing the messaging woven through spots on radio, television and social media.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The leaders of<\/strong> Ukraine and Slovakia agreed on Friday to hold a face-to-face meeting as they wrangle over a blocked pipeline that takes Russian oil<\/strong> to Slovakia and Hungary, officials said. Slovakia\u2019s prime minister Robert Fico and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orb\u00e1n have accused Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of using \u201cblackmail\u201d over the pipeline through Ukrainian territory. Ukraine said the Druzhba pipeline was damaged in Russian airstrikes on 27 January. Slovakia and Hungary have since insisted that it has been repaired again. Orban has blocked an EU emergency loan to Ukraine as the dispute escalates.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The International Atomic Energy Agency on Friday said it had negotiated a temporary local ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia,<\/strong> allowing restoration for a backup power supply to Ukraine\u2019s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. It is the fifth local ceasefire negotiated by the IAEA between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, said Rafael Grossi, director general of the agency.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n At least 55 Ghanaians have been killed in Russia\u2019s war with Ukraine after being \u201clured into battle\u201d<\/strong>, Ghana\u2019s foreign minister said after a visit to Kyiv in which officials raised the issue of Russian recruitment of African people. The foreign minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said in a post on X on Thursday: \u201cWe were informed that 272 Ghanaians are believed to have been lured into battle since 2022 for which an estimated 55 have been killed and 2 captured as prisoners of war.\u201d Reports of African men being attracted to Russia by promises of jobs and ending up on Ukraine\u2019s frontlines have become more frequent in recent months, creating tensions between Moscow and some of the countries involved. Russian authorities have denied illegally recruiting African citizens to fight in Ukraine. Ukraine says more than 1,780 Africans from 36 countries are fighting in the Russian army.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/div>\n