Warsaw Calls in Russian Diplomat, Considers NATO Talks Under Article 4
Amid new incidents involving Russian drones violating Polish airspace, diplomatic and security tensions have escalated in Warsaw, prompting Polish authorities to lodge official protests against Moscow and discuss the possibility of invoking NATO mechanisms.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Ukrainian Pravda and PAP.
Poland has announced that it will summon Russia's chargé d'affaires over the incident involving Russian drones violating its airspace. As confirmed by Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Paweł Wroński, the diplomat is to be handed an official note of protest.
Moscow has rejected the accusations. Russia's chargé d'affaires in Poland, Andrei Ordash, said that Warsaw had not provided any evidence of the Russian origin of the downed drones.
"We consider these accusations to be unfounded. No evidence has been presented to prove that these drones are of Russian origin," Ordash said.
He also stressed that Russia “is not interested in escalating the conflict.”
“But, unfortunately, we cannot count on the Polish authorities to listen to us in their anti-Russian frenzy,” he said.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded by saying that these incidents cannot be considered accidental or minor provocations. In his opinion, these are serious actions by Russia that require a tough reaction.
It is also reported that Polish President Karol Nawrocki said that an emergency meeting of the National Security Bureau was held in connection with the violation of airspace by Russian drones.
Importantly, one of the key issues was the discussion of the possibility of applying Article 4 of NATO, which provides for immediate consultations between allies in the event of a threat to the territorial integrity or security of a state.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, and senior commanders participated in the meeting. Chief of the General Staff General Wiesław Kukula promised to prepare a detailed report on the night's events within two days.
Particular attention was paid to strengthening the country's defense against drones, in close coordination with Alliance partners.
As The Gaze informed earlier, Poland confirmed on Wednesday that it had shot down Russian drones that crossed its border during Moscow’s overnight assault on Ukraine. It is the first such incident of direct defensive action against aerial targets inside Polish territory.