The Polish minister noted that his country very often puts the F-16 on alert due to missile attacks on Ukrainian territory. But Poland will shoot down Russian missiles over its territory if they pose a threat “to any location in Poland or other NATO member states.”
“There was no such case when a missile was directed at a target on Polish territory, but yes, last week Polish F-16s took off and were ready to defend the territory near the border,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
He also believes that the situation with violation of Polish airspace also affects Latvia and Romania, where unknown drones are often discovered.
“We have prepared an air defense system, we have also improved air defense. We are talking about the airport in Rzeszow, which is transferred under the protection of NATO. Our allies America, Great Britain, Germany, Norway and other countries protect us in the air base. And if this air space is violated, the missile or the drone to be shot down, the minister said.
At the same time, Kosinyak-Kamysh reminded that when it comes to shooting down targets over Ukrainian airspace, there is no NATO decision on this matter.
Shooting down Russian missiles
Ukraine has repeatedly asked Poland and Romania for help in shooting down Russian missiles and drones flying through its territory towards those countries. But the implementation of such a decision requires the consent of NATO, in particular the United States, which is currently holding back the process.
On October 30, members of the US Congress called on President Joe Biden to authorize Poland to destroy enemy targets over Ukrainian territory.
