MOSCOW DENIES RESPONSIBILITY
Moscow denied responsibility for the incident, with a senior diplomat in Poland saying the drones had come from the direction of Ukraine. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its drones had carried out a major attack on military facilities in western Ukraine, but it had not planned to hit any targets in Poland.
United States President Donald Trump spoke with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, a conservative nationalist and political ally whom Trump hosted at the White House last week.
“This conversation is part of a series of consultations I’ve been conducting with our allies,” Nawrocki said in a post on X. “Today’s talks reaffirmed our unity.”
Ahead of the phone call, Trump posted on social media: “What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” He did not elaborate.
The leaders of France, Britain, Germany, and Canada were among the NATO leaders to condemn the suspected Russian incursion.
European leaders, who have been trying to persuade Trump to join them in tightening sanctions on Russia and boosting support for Kyiv, said it justified a collective response.
Slovenia, Denmark, Greece, France, and Britain have asked the United Nations Security Council to meet on Friday over what they deemed Russian violations of Polish airspace, diplomats said.
Poland said 19 objects had entered its airspace during a large Russian air attack on Ukraine, and that it had shot down those posing a threat.
Tusk called the incident a “large-scale provocation” and said he had activated Article 4 of NATO’s treaty, under which alliance members can demand consultations with their allies.
Neither Poland nor NATO has yet given a full account of what they suspect the drones were doing. One senior military source said at least five of the drones’ flight paths indicated they were headed towards Rzeszow airport, NATO’s main hub for arms supplies to Ukraine.
