Poland and neighboring countries to Ukraine are "responsible for protecting their own airspace," despite NATO's opposition, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in an interview with the Financial Times published on Sept. 2.
Russian drones and missiles have previously entered Poland's airspace during attacks on Ukraine. However, Polish allies advised the government to exercise restraint when dealing with unidentified airspace violations, according to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
"Membership in NATO does not trump each country's responsibility for the protection of its own airspace – it's our own constitutional duty," Sikorski told the Financial Times.
"I'm personally of the view that, when hostile missiles are on a course of entering our airspace, it would be legitimate self-defense (to strike them) because once they do cross into our airspace, the risk of debris injuring someone is significant."
In early July, Ukraine and Poland signed a bilateral security agreement, which included a commitment by both sides to examine "the feasibility of possible intercepting in Ukraine's airspace missiles and UAVs fired in the direction of the territory of Poland, following necessary procedures agreed by the states and organizations involved."
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in turn, was skeptical about this point of the agreement, saying that it puts the alliance at risk of "becoming part of the conflict."
Sikorski began to insist on Poland's right to shoot down air targets after a Russian drone reportedly crossed the country's border in an attack against Ukraine on Aug. 26. The minister said that the risk of Polish casualties increases the closer a missile is to its target when intercepted, so it was better to shoot it down at a higher altitude over Ukraine.
"Ukrainians have told us: you're welcome," Sikorski added.
Most Poles believe the Polish military should shoot down Russian drones that enter Polish airspace during aerial attacks on Ukraine, according to a survey published on Sept. 1 by the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita.
Previously, a Russian missile entered Polish airspace during a massive aerial attack launched against Ukraine in March, staying in Polish airspace for 39 seconds.
In another incident on Nov. 15, 2022, a missile flew onto Polish territory during a Russian mass strike, killing two civilians.
Polish investigators later concluded that it was a stray Ukrainian surface-to-air missile launched to intercept a Russian attack.
Dinara Khalilova
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