As of: March 30, 2024, 7:02 p.m
By: Sandra Kathe
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Press
Split
As one of the countries in close proximity to the Ukraine war, Poland has been on alert for a long time. Now the NATO member is addressing important security issues.
Warsaw - Because projectiles have repeatedly approached Polish airspace dangerously since the beginning of the Ukraine war and there was another incident a few days ago, Poland and NATO have been discussing possible protective measures intensively since Monday. Now Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna has announced in an interview with broadcaster
RMF24
that he would also consider launching Russian missiles if they come too close to his own airspace.
The background was an incident in which, according to official information, a cruise missile fired by a Russian long-range aircraft briefly entered Polish airspace early on Monday morning during an attack on western Ukraine. Warsaw then summoned the Russian ambassador, but he did not comply with this request.
Dragon 24 fighter jets practice in Wielbark, Poland. The aim of Wielbark 2024 is to practice taking off and landing fighter jets on a public highway. © IMAGO/Dominika Zarzycka/SOPA Images
Rocket in Polish airspace: Politician speaks of “sign of contempt”
As a result, the German Press Agency
reported
that the diplomatic note calling for the incident to be clarified should now be forwarded to the Russian Foreign Ministry via a different route. According to a report in the British
Guardian
, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz sees the reaction of the ambassador, who had demanded "evidence" as a basis for a visit, as a "sign of contempt."
In parallel with the attempt to start a diplomatic exchange with Russia on this matter, talks have been taking place since Monday between Poland and the NATO leadership under Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and Stoltenberg had already discussed ways to strengthen the security of Polish and allied airspace on Monday.
War not far from NATO borders: Poland wants to consider several concepts
According to a report by the Ukrainian media
Kyiv Independent
, Szejna now spoke of how “several concepts are being analyzed” within NATO, including one “that envisages the firing of missiles that come too close to NATO borders.” Russia also needs to know that such a maneuver could result in a counterattack, the news site quotes the Polish politician as saying.
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Monday's incident was not the first of its kind. According to reports, a Russian missile briefly entered Poland's airspace at the end of December 2023, putting the country's security systems on alert. In November 2022, two civilians were killed in another incident. An investigation revealed that a misguided Ukrainian defense missile had crashed at that time.
(saka with dpa)