Poland issued a blunt warning to Russia this week after a series of airspace incursions heightened tensions across NATO's eastern border. Speaking at an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting on Monday in New York, Poland's foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, told Moscow not to expect sympathy if Russian missiles or jets are downed after breaching NATO airspace, per Politico. "If another missile or aircraft enters our space without permission ... and gets shot down and the wreckage falls on NATO territory, please don't come here to whine about it," Sikorski said in an admonishment to the Russian government, adding, "You have been warned."
His remarks follow an incident on Friday, when three Russian jets crossed into Estonian airspace for 12 minutes before being intercepted by NATO's Italian F-35s. Earlier this month, Russia reportedly sent drones into both Poland and Romania, prompting NATO to raise its alert level. In response to the recent warnings, Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia's deputy ambassador to the UN, complained to the Security Council that an effort was underway to "blame Russia for everything," per Euronews.
Poland's prime minister, Donald Tusk, reinforced his nation's tough stance, stating unequivocally that Warsaw wouldn't hesitate to shoot down, "without discussion," unauthorized aircraft over Polish territory. "There is no room for debate here," Tusk said at a Monday press conference, per Politico. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte tried to soften the "without discussion" tack a bit, noting, per the AP: "We will always assess the situation, assess the immediate threat the plane poses."
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Tensions over repeated Russian incursions have pushed the European Union to consider new security measures. Seven EU nations will meet with the European Commission and Ukraine on Friday to discuss a potential "drone wall" to bolster defenses along the bloc's eastern frontier, per Politico.
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