Kuala Lampur, Sept. 25 -- When Russia's massive drone assault ripped through Kyiv last month, the aftershocks reverberated well beyond Ukraine's battered capital.

Among the damaged structures was the EU delegation compound, a symbolic reminder that Europe itself remains on the front line of Moscow's war.

But the significance of that moment was not confined to bricks and mortar.

What followed was even more telling: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen did not wait for her envoys to file reports or for Nato to convene another meeting.

Instead, she picked up the phone and called US President Donald Trump directly.

According to EU officials familiar with the call, she told Trump bluntly: "This is what Vladimir Putin is capa...