Poland’s PM warns prospect of military conflict ‘closer than at any time since second world war’ amid Russian drone incursion – live | Ukraine

Meanwhile over in Russia, the Kremlin on Wednesday declined to comment on the overnight developments, saying this was a matter for the country’s defence ministry.

Nato secretary general Mark Rutte is now offering his reaction to the overnight incident in Poland.

He says that “the full assessment is on-going,” but stresses that “whether it was intentionally or not, it is absolutely, reckless, it is absolutely dangerous.”

“To Putin, my message is clear: stop the war in Ukraine, stop escalating the war, which he is now basically mounting on innocent civilians and civilian infrastructure, and stop violating allied airspace. Know that we stand ready, that we are vigilant, and that we will defend every inch of Nato territory.”

He says the considers last night’s response “very successful.”

“We always have to make sure that we are one step ahead, but I think [that] last night showed that we are able to defend every inch of Nato territory, including, of course its airspace.”

And that ends his brief statement.

Dr Marion Messmer, senior research fellow at Chatham House, said that Poland’s successful intercept missions “showed a quick reaction to the threat and demonstrated cooperation among allies.”

But she added:

“The number of drones that ended up in Polish airspace … makes it unlikely that this was an accident, though Belarus claims that the drones navigation systems malfunctioned which caused them to drift off course. …

For now, Nato does not treat this airspace violation as a deliberate attack – but taken together with other recent grey zone activities, it suggests that Russia is trying to test where Nato’s red lines are.”

Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that updated Ukrainian data suggest “around two dozen of Russian drones may have entered Polish airspace during the night.”

“We are verifying this,” he said.

He added:

“Ukraine is ready to expand our cooperation with partners for reliable protection of the sky. So that we have not only information and intelligence data sharing, but also real joint actions that guarantee security of the neighbors.

Russia must feel that Europeans know how to defend themselves.”

Karolina Gałecka, spokesperson for the Polish interior minister, told reporters that Polish authorities have so far identified seven drones and “remains of a missile of unidentified origin.”

UK prime minister Keir Starmer has now responded to the overnight events, calling the Russian violation of the Polish airspace “egregious and unprecedented” and “extremely reckless.”

Here is his statement in full:

“This morning’s barbaric attack on Ukraine and the egregious and unprecedented violation of Polish and Nato airspace by Russian drones is deeply concerning.

This was an extremely reckless move by Russia and only serves to remind us of President Putin’s blatant disregard for peace, and the constant bombardment innocent Ukrainians face every day.

I have been in touch with the Polish prime minister this morning to make clear our support for Poland, and that we will stand firm in our support for Ukraine.

My sincere thanks go to the Nato and Polish forces who rapidly responded to protect the Alliance.

With our partners – and through our leadership of the Coalition of the Willing – we will continue to ramp up the pressure on Putin until there is a just and lasting peace.”

A number of European leaders have expressed their solidarity with Poland after overnight violation of Poland’s airspace by Russian drones.

French president Emmanuel Macron said the attack was “simply unacceptable,” and condemned it “in the strongest possible terms.”

“I call on Russia to put an end to this reckless escalation. I reiterate to the Polish people and their government our full solidarity. I will soon speak with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte. We will not compromise on the security of the Allies,” he said.

Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof said it was “unacceptable,” and “a further proof that Russia’s war of aggression poses a threat to the security of Europe.”

“I’m glad that Dutch F-35 fighter aircraft was able to provide support. The Netherlands stands shoulder to shoulder with its Nato ally, Poland,” he said.

Ireland’s Micheál Martin said he “strongly condemned the violation of Poland’s territorial integrity,” calling it a “reckless and unprecedented act that is a stark reminder of the threat posed by Russia to Europe’s security.”

Finnish prime minister Petteri Orpo noted that “Poland had to resort to exceptional measures to protect its airspace from Russian drones.”

“Poland has Finland’s full support,” he said.

The European Council’s president António Costa said the last night’s events were “a stark reminder that the security of one is the security of all.”

“We stand in full solidarity with Poland following Russia’s unacceptable violation of its airspace. Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine and reckless airspace incursions into EU Member States pose a direct threat to the safety of all Europeans and to critical infrastructure across our continent.

Poland is right to take necessary steps to defend its sovereignty. Europe is increasing investment in its defence, because peace and security in Europe cannot be taken for granted.”

Russian chargé d’affaires in Warsaw has been summoned by the Polish foreign ministry, Russian Ria Novosti news agency says.

But Andrey Ordash told the agency that Poland has not offered any evidence that the drones were of Russian origin.