Poland prepared to defend airspace against Russian missile threats, states Defense Minister
Poland's Defense Minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, announced that Warsaw is prepared to intercept Russian missiles deemed a direct threat to the country's territory. In an interview with “Voice of America,” he noted that no such incident has occurred thus far.
"If our airspace is breached, the missile or drone will be shot down. We will act if it is physically possible to do so... However, the situation changes when it comes to intercepting targets over Ukrainian airspace. There is no NATO decision or agreement on this matter. We will safeguard our territory," stated Kosiniak-Kamysz.
He also mentioned that Polish F-16 fighters are ready to engage and intercept Russian missiles if they are directly aimed at Polish territory. During Russia's large-scale attack on Ukraine on December 13, Poland scrambled its F-16s, which "were prepared to defend the border area," he said.
Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Poland is not at war, and therefore, any object violating the country's airspace "might be a civilian object." According to him, the Polish armed forces are prepared to use weapons "when necessary" to take down an object intruding into their airspace.