2024-07-16 16:54:47
At the beginning of the month, Deputy Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, Olena Kondratyuk, suggested to her Polish counterpart, Malgozhata Kidava-Blonska, that Warsaw could protect the airspace of Ukraine’s neighboring regions. Kidava-Blonska did not immediately respond to this suggestion.
Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosińak-Kamisz said at the NATO summit in Washington last week that without NATO’s acceptance, Poland will not protect the skies over Ukraine. “We will not make a decision to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine without the alliance’s support and approval,” the minister told Polish media, adding that Poland would raise the issue in bilateral talks with other NATO countries.
Stoltenberg, in an interview with the Ukrainian TV Marathon, denied that Poland or any other NATO country could shoot down Russian missiles over Ukrainian territory.
“NATO will support Ukraine, and we have recently increased our support. But NATO’s policy remains the same – we will not participate in this conflict,” the Secretary General said. “We will not become participants in the conflict. That’s why we support Ukraine to destroy Russian planes, but NATO will not be directly involved,” he stressed.
A proposal for Poland to shoot down Russian missiles heading towards Polish territory while they are still in Ukrainian airspace was included in a security cooperation agreement signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw this week. After concluding the agreement, Tusk stated that on July 8, the shooting down of the missiles flying towards Poland over Ukraine should be discussed, stressing that NATO solidarity is necessary in this matter.
Zelenskiy expressed confidence that the agreement could be implemented quickly, although Poland would consult with NATO allies before attempting to shoot down Russian missiles.
“At this stage it is an idea. Our agreement provides that we will explore this idea,” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslav Sikorski said during a NATO summit in Washington.
“Our dilemma is this. If we shoot them down only when they enter our airspace, the debris will endanger our citizens and our property,” the minister added, noting that the Ukrainians are offering to shoot down missiles in Ukrainian airspace that cross western Ukraine and head towards Poland .
2024-07-16 16:54:47