Drones over Poland should shape Russia-NATO relations, warns Finland's PM
Photo: Petteri Orpo (Getty Images)
The incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace should become a key factor in Russia-NATO relations, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said this, according to Ule.
"I do not think Russia wants to escalate the war. But Russia is conducting tests. In this case, Russia is also observing the West's reaction," Orpo said.
According to him, the airspace violation should become a turning point for the West regarding Russia. He hopes it will lead to stronger sanctions against Russia and increased military support for Ukraine.
He also added that, despite the distance between Poland and Ukraine from Russia, Moscow remains a constant threat to Finland, to which Finland is responding, among other measures, by significantly increasing its defense spending.
Russian drones in Poland
It should be recalled that during Russia's attack on Ukraine on the night of September 10, drones entered Polish airspace. Weapons from aircraft were used against them. This was the first time that Polish aviation shot down drones that violated the country’s airspace.
Overall, Polish authorities found the wreckage of 16 Russian drones that entered the country’s territory during the attack. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that the country’s airspace was violated at least 19 times.
It later became known that NATO is launching the Eastern Sentry operation to strengthen the defense of Europe’s eastern flank in response to the Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace.
