Russian drones over Poland may spark dangerous escalation, Rubio says
Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Getty Images)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the appearance of Russian drones in Poland a "dangerous development" but said it was unclear whether the attack was deliberate, Reuters informs.
"We think it's an unacceptable, unfortunate, and dangerous development. No doubt about it: the drones were intentionally launched. The question is whether the drones were targeted to go into Poland specifically," Rubio told reporters before departing on a trip to Israel and Britain.
He added that if evidence confirms the drones were targeting Poland, it would obviously represent a "highly escalatory move."
Rubio also said Washington will hold consultations with NATO partners.
"There are a number of other possibilities as well, but I think we'd like to have all the facts and consult with our allies before we make specific determinations," he said.
Background
On the night of September 10, during a large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine, some Russian drones entered Polish airspace. Poland responded by scrambling its aircraft and, for the first time, shot down Russian drones over its territory.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk later said Polish airspace had been violated at least 19 times. Authorities also reported finding debris from 16 Russian drones.
On September 13, Poland again scrambled combat aircraft due to the threat of Russian drones. At the same time, air raid alerts were issued in Ukraine's Volyn region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that a Russian drone entered Romanian airspace and remained there for 50 minutes.
Commenting on the events of September 10, US President Donald Trump suggested the Russian drones' incursion into Poland "could have been a mistake."
