Translated with AI
NATO countries need to begin intercepting Russian drones and missiles over Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated. "We need to think about this. Technically, we, as NATO and the EU, would be capable of doing this, but this is not a decision Poland can make on its own, only together with its allies," Sikorski said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).
According to him, shooting down Russian drones over Ukraine would be "beneficial" for Western countries, as Europe needs to accelerate its "defense preparations" and learn from Ukraine's experience in countering drones. "It's clear that Ukraine is far ahead of us in terms of defense against drones. <…> Therefore, we must change our thinking: in this matter, we are not training the Ukrainians, but they are training us," Sikorsky said. He also proposed coordinating actions against Russia's "shadow fleet" in the Baltic Sea and monitoring the passage of vessels into its waters with NATO forces. "If even one of these Russian ships, two of which have already sunk in the Sea of Azov, sinks in the Baltic Sea, we will face an environmental disaster of unprecedented proportions," Sikorsky noted.
Previously, Polish authorities had already proposed to NATO countries to shoot down air targets over Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry called such plans "an adventurous impulse" and promised an "adequate and very concrete" response if this scenario materialized. Warsaw revived the idea of helping Kyiv repel Russian air attacks after 19 drones flew into Polish territory during a massive shelling of Ukraine on the night of September 10. In addition to Polish combat aircraft, NATO fighter jets were deployed to intercept them for the first time since the beginning of the war.
Later, the wreckage of 17 reconnaissance drones, all of which had no warheads, was discovered in the country. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared that "the line has been crossed" and the country is now "closer to military conflict than at any time since World War II." In response, the Russian Ministry of Defense noted that it "had no plans" to strike Poland. The Russian Foreign Ministry also assured that Moscow is "absolutely not interested in any escalation" with Warsaw.
