Polish foreign minister suggests NATO consider no-fly zone over Ukraine

WARSAW(Poland):Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has suggested that NATO members should weigh imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine to protect it from Russian drones, CNN reported.

His comments come after Russian drones violated Polish airspace last week, prompting NATO fighter jets and air defences to shoot them down. Officials confirmed the drones were not armed.

Speaking to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine, Sikorski said, “We as NATO and the EU could be capable of doing this, but it is not a decision that Poland can make alone; it can only be made with its allies.”

He added, “Protection for our population – for example, from falling debris – would naturally be greater if we could combat drones and other flying objects beyond our national territory. If Ukraine were to ask us to shoot them down over its territory, that would be advantageous for us. If you ask me personally, we should consider it.”

According to CNN, the idea of a no-fly zone over Ukraine was first pushed by President Volodymyr Zelensky after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, but NATO allies rejected it under the Biden administration for fear it could lead to direct clashes with Russian aircraft. Sikorski’s current proposal appears more limited, focusing only on drones approaching NATO borders.

Poland’s interior ministry said that 16 drones were detected across the country during last Wednesday’s incursion. Polish and Dutch fighter jets, supported by Italian, German, and NATO multinational forces, intercepted the drones.

Sikorski told Frankfurter Allgemeine that the scale of the incident was no accident. “Our air force repelled the threat for seven hours. So far, we have heard two explanations from the Russian government: that the drones accidentally flew over the border and that it is impossible for Russian drones to fly that far at all.”

Russia’s defence ministry, however, said it had targeted Ukraine in overnight strikes, insisting “no targets on the territory of Poland were planned for destruction,” and claiming its drones have a maximum range of 700 kilometres (435 miles), CNN reported.

Just days after the Polish incident, Romania also scrambled fighter jets when a Russian drone breached its airspace on Saturday, highlighting the growing regional concern over Moscow’s drone activity. (ANI)