France and Germany announced on Thursday new measures to strengthen Poland’s air defenses, ahead of an emergency UN Security Council meeting requested by Warsaw after its airspace was breached on Wednesday night by around 20 drones it said were Russian, a claim Moscow has denied.
The incident sparked shock in Poland, which is calling for greater military support from the European Union and NATO, insisting the drone incursion was deliberate — something Moscow rejects.
In an initial response, Germany said it would extend its NATO air policing mission over Poland until the end of the year, doubling the number of deployed Eurofighter jets to four. French President Emmanuel Macron also announced that France would deploy three fighter jets to help protect Polish and eastern European airspace alongside NATO allies, stressing that his country would not yield to what he described as “Russia’s growing intimidation.”
At the same time, Poland formally requested an emergency UN Security Council session, scheduled to be held Friday in New York. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said his country aimed to “draw the world’s attention to this unprecedented attack,” adding that the breach was “a test not only for Poland but for NATO as a whole, politically as well as militarily.” As a precaution, Poland also restricted air traffic along its eastern border on Thursday morning.
U.S. President Donald Trump commented that the Russian incursion may have happened “by mistake,” expressing dissatisfaction with the overall situation. NATO, however, condemned Moscow’s actions as “reckless,” while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the event as “the most serious violation of European airspace by Russia since the start of the war.”
Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper was scheduled to visit Kyiv on Friday in her first official foreign trip since taking office, reaffirming Britain’s commitment to Ukraine with an additional £142 million ($192.75 million) in aid to help the country through the winter.
On the other side, Russia warned Poland over its response. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova urged Warsaw to “consider the consequences of such destructive steps and review its decision as soon as possible.” A Russian diplomat earlier told state media that the allegations of drone incursions were “baseless,” claiming Poland had provided no proof that the downed drones originated from Russia.
The Kremlin refrained from direct comment on the incident, but spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the EU and NATO “always accuse Russia of provocations, often without even attempting to provide any evidence.”
China, a permanent member of the Security Council and a diplomatic supporter of Moscow, called for dialogue. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular press briefing that “China hopes all parties concerned will resolve their differences properly through dialogue and consultation.”
