Polish MFA: Ukraine asks neighbors to down Russian missiles. Warsaw discussing possibilities
Warsaw is discussing the possibility of shooting down Russian missiles over the western part of Ukraine, reported the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Paweł Wroński, in a comment to RMF24.
Wroński confirmed that Ukraine is indeed asking its allies to shoot down Russian missiles.
"The Ukrainian side puts forward such a demand that the Polish military and Polish air defense shoot down missiles flying over Ukrainian territory," said the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At the same time, he noted that this issue is debatable, as it is tied to a number of prerequisites.
"For example, technical issues related to the range of these missiles, as well as legal issues. What will happen if the fragments of such a missile destroy someone's property or cause someone's death, because, after all, this missile will not dissolve in the air," Wroński noted.
In an interview with Reuters, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the participation of the Polish Air Force in repelling Russian missile attacks will not involve Poland in the war, and one day a missile launched by Russia "may fall on the heads" of peaceful citizens of the country.
On March 24, a Russian missile violated Polish airspace in the area of the settlement of Oserdów and stayed in it for 39 seconds. Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said that they would have shot down the Russian missile if they had been sure that it was headed for a certain target.
In April, Polish PM Donald Tusk discussed with his Danish colleague Mette Frederiksen the possibility of creating an "iron dome" to protect European cities from air attacks in case of war.
Polish President Andrzej Duda criticized the idea of Poland's participation in the program, calling it a "German business project." In response, Tusk said that it does not matter to him "who has what kind of business in matters of arms or defense", but it is important that Poland is safer.