Poland will shoot down any Russian aircraft or drones that cross into its territory, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Monday following NATO reports of airspace violations.
“We will make a decision to shoot down flying objects without discussion when they violate our territory and fly over Poland. There is no room for debate here,” Tusk told reporters in Warsaw.
Tusk said that in “situations that are not entirely clear,” such as the recent flights of Russian fighter jets over Poland’s Petrobaltic drilling platform in the Baltic Sea, outside Polish waters, any decision to respond must be made with great care.
“You need to think twice before deciding on actions that could trigger a very acute phase of the conflict,” he said.
Tusk called for firm assurances from NATO that Poland would have allied support if tensions escalated. “I need to be absolutely certain that all allies will treat this in exactly the same way as we do,” he said.
Tusk made his comments following a series of incidents in which Russian drones or warplanes entered the airspace of Poland, Romania, and, most recently, Estonia.
Last Friday, three Russian MiG-31 jets reportedly stayed in Estonian airspace for nearly 12 minutes before NATO scrambled jets in response.
Russia denied that its aircraft had violated Estonian airspace, calling the claim false and designed to stir tension.
