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Poland has told Russia that it should not “whine” if its aircraft or missiles are shot down over NATO territory, amid heightened tensions over recent air incursions by Moscow.
Speaking at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said he had “only one request to the Russian government”.
“If another missile or aircraft enters our space without permission, deliberately or by mistake, and gets shot down and the wreckage falls on NATO territory, please don’t come here to whine about it,” Sikorski said. “You have been warned.”
The UNSC session was convened after Estonia reported on Friday that three Russian fighter aircraft entered its airspace without permission and stayed there for 12 minutes.
That happened just over a week after NATO planes downed Russian drones over Poland and raised fears that Moscow’s all-out war in Ukraine could spill over.
The UK’s British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Moscow at the UNSC meeting that its “reckless actions risk direct armed confrontation between NATO and Russia”.
“Our alliance is defensive but be under no illusion we stand ready to defend NATO’s skies and NATO’s territory,” she said.
In response, Russia’s deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy dismissed the outcry, telling the UNSC it was part of an effort to “blame Russia for everything”.
Separately, on Monday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told a press conference that his country would shoot down aircraft that enter its airspace without permission.
“We will take the decision to shoot down flying objects when they violate our territory and fly over Poland — there is absolutely no discussion about that,” he said.
On Tuesday, NATO allies will hold formal consultations at Estonia’s request under Article 4 of the alliance’s treaty.
That allows a member to consult with allies whenever their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened.
Poland also invoked the mechanism earlier this month after Russian drones violated its airspace, prompting NATO to launch its Eastern Sentry mission to bolster defences along the eastern flank.
