Ursula von der Leyen: violation of Polish air space “was not an accident, but a challenge” from Russia
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said in the speech on the state of the Union held in the European Parliament that the old world of geopolitics has ended and that a new Europe has to appear. “
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen Photo: Archive
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Wednesday, in the speech on the state of the Union held in the European Parliament, that ten or more shahed drones entered Poland, a sign that the incident “It was not an accident, but a challenge” from Russia. The head of the EU diplomacy underlined that “Russia is not going to stop the war, but to climb it ”.
Von der Leyen explained that the drones that raped the Polish air space were Kamikaze Drones, and not spy drones, and that this is the first time a high -ranking official specifies the magnitude and nature of the incident. “It is a serious challenge to European security“She said, highlighting that the EU must strengthen its defense and be more firm on the global stage.
Polish Prime Minister had previously mentioned that a large number of Russian drones were shot down when they represented “A direct threat“, And Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the incident”It was probably a large -scale challenge from Russia. ”
International reactions and conflict climbing
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski warns that this incident “It's a new level of escalation and an extremely dangerous precedent for Europe”The head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, stressed: “The most serious violation of the European airspace by Russia from the beginning of the war. It was not an accident, it has been intended! We have to increase the costs for Moscow, to strengthen support for Ukraine and to invest in the defense of Europe.”.
In parallel, on social networks there is a graphics posted by Ukrainians who seems to describe Russia's air attack on this night, including trajectories of drones that entered Poland.
Russia's aerial attack on Ukraine Photo: X
According to Reuters, a NATO source said that the organization does not consider the incursion of Russian drones as an attack on a member country. The alliance radars detected the drones, but they were shot down by the Polish F-16 aircraft and the Dutch F-35, assisted by an Italian AWACS, instead of being intercepted by Patriot anti-aircraft systems.
Europe, between courage and global relevance
In his speech, Ursula von der Leyen also stated that the old world of geopolitics has ended and that “A new Europe must appear“She said”At this moment the battle lines are drawn for a new world order. So yes, Europe has to fight“And he stressed the need for the European Union to be more firm and to protect his own security.
In his comments about Ukraine, the head of the European Commission mentioned Saşa, a Ukrainian child deported by Russia and brought back home due to his international efforts and his family. Von Der Leyen has announced that he will host an international summit for the coalition that advocates the resolution of kidnapping cases, for which the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants on behalf of Russian leader Vladimir Putin. “Every Ukrainian child must be brought home“She emphasized.
