Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski believes Warsaw has a duty to shoot down Russian drones and missiles approaching his country from Ukraine before they enter Polish airspace.
In an interview published Monday in the British newspaper The Financial Times, Sikorski opposed NATO’s official position, arguing that such a policy would risk escalating the war through possible direct confrontation with Russian troops.
The defense alliance has so far rejected intervention against Russian drones and missiles over Ukraine, as well as Kiev’s demand for a no-fly zone over the country.
Sikorski told the FT he believes the action “would be a legitimate act of self-defence if enemy missiles are headed for our airspace, because once they are in the risk of someone being injured by debris is significant.”
NATO membership does not relieve any country of the obligation to protect its own airspace, he said.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană said he disagreed with Sikorski’s approach. “Of course, we respect the right of every ally to ensure its national security. But within NATO, we have always consulted each other before taking any action that could affect all of us,” he told the newspaper.
Until now, Poland has always consulted with its allies on this matter, he said.
Last week, the Polish military used radar to detect the approach of an unknown flying object from Ukraine.
The PAP agency, citing the military, reported that the height and speed of the object indicated a Russian Shahed combat drone of Iranian design, which was used by Russia against Ukraine.
During the ongoing attacks on Ukraine, Russian missiles have violated Polish airspace several times.
In 2022, two people were killed when a rocket crashed in eastern Poland. In this case, the cause was a deceptive Ukrainian air defense missile.