NATO might discuss the possibility of intercepting Russian missiles over Ukrainian airspace during the alliance’s ministerial meeting next week, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said.
“This is a matter of agreements and discussions within the group of our allies. We have a new NATO Secretary General. The next NATO ministerial meeting will take place next week. Perhaps this issue will be on the agenda of the talks,” Sikorski said on Polish TV channel TVN24 on Monday.
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NATO has not yet announced the exact dates of the upcoming meeting on its website.
Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg rejected the proposal during his tenure, but some believe his predecessor Mark Rutte, who has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine, might rekindle discussions on the idea.
Ukraine has requested NATO to help intercept Russian jets and missiles since the start of Russia’s 2022 invasion – which culminated in multiple petitions and campaigns colloquially known as “close the sky over Ukraine.”
However, NATO has been reluctant to do so for fear of entering into a direct conflict with Russia – an argument countered by Ukraine’s former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who said missiles are just metal, not people, and that “the escalation argument is flawed” during his last media interview in office on Sept. 3.
That said, the fear of escalation is shared by some in Warsaw.
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While Sikorski called it a “constitutional duty” for countries bordering Ukraine to help defend the skies in September, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski rejected the notion in a statement on Monday, claiming it would drag Poland into the war.
“Zelensky wants Poland to shoot down missiles over Ukraine, that is, he wants Poland to enter the war, that is, he wants Poland to fight Russia. In these statements, Zelensky wants to involve Poland in a war with Russia,” Gawkowski told Polish media Radio ZET.
Gawkowski also hinted that he considers Ukraine – or Zelensky – ungrateful for what Poland has done for Ukraine.
“Donated equipment, citizens taken care of, Poland is a great friend of Ukraine, a transport hub. It seemed to me that in such situations it is necessary to say, ‘thank you’ to someone, and not to harass,” Gawkowski said.
There have been incidents where Russian drones entered NATO airspace and, in some instances, crashed on NATO territory, leading to heated debates on where the alliance’s obligations shall lie.
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