Poland will not shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine without NATO's decision - Polish Defense Ministry
Photo: Polish National Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (Getty Images)
Poland will not shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine, heading towards the west of the country, without a decision made by all NATO members, according to Polish National Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz in an interview with Polskie Radio.
According to him, Ukraine has long requested that missiles heading west be shot down from the territory of NATO countries.
At the same time, Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized that Poland will not make any decisions on this matter independently, stating that "this must be a decision of the entire NATO."
The Polish minister noted that there is currently no such consensus within NATO and pointed to the position of the White House, which has stated that it does not want to escalate the conflict.
"Of course, there are different procedures for missiles on the territory of the Republic of Poland. In that case, it is our decision," he added.
Poland may shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine
During attacks on Ukraine, Russian forces have repeatedly launched missiles towards Poland and even violated its airspace. However, the Polish air defense system has not shot them down.
Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine and Poland are working on a mechanism whereby Polish air defense will shoot down Russian missiles and drones.
Yesterday, the US State Department mentioned that during the NATO summit, member countries might discuss the issue of Poland shooting down Russian missiles heading towards it during attacks on Ukraine.
Today, the White House stated that the United States and NATO do not want to provoke Russian President Vladimir Putin. Therefore, Poland is unlikely to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine.
