How Zelenski sees the common air defense effort with Poland and Romania: “For a reliable shield we must act together”,
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski has requested a common air defense effort with Poland and Romania to counteract Russian drones, while Moscow continues to test NATO defense, according to Polish national television tvpworld.com.
Zelensky wants a common air defense effort. AFP photo
Violation of NATO's airspace by Russia, especially Russian drones that have entered the Polish territory last week, fed new fears in a region already tense from the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, notes Agerpres, citing tvpworld.com.
Incursions “They brought us closest to an open conflict since World War II ”because Western planes have directly attacked Russian targets for the first time in the war that lasts three years in neighboring Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned.
Several European states have sent reinforcements to Poland in the Burma of this incident, the United Kingdom carrying out its latest generation Eurofighter Typhoon, while NATO announced a new operation, Eastern Sentry, to strengthen the east flank of the Alliance.
On Friday, Polish officials reported that two Russian fighter jets have violated the safety area of the Petbaltic Drilling Platform in the Baltic Sea. The Petrobaltic platform is a marine drilling installation owned by the Polish State Energy Giant Orlen. Operating in the Polish sector of the Baltic Sea, it is used for the exploitation of oil and gases below the bottom of the sea.
The exclusive economic area of Poland was violated during the incident, although not the state border, said Katarzyna Przybysz, spokesman for the Navy of the Border Guard, for the public TVP Info.
An “unprecedented scandalous” incursion.
The incident took place just hours after Estonia, another NATO member state, reported that three Russian military planes entered its air space for 12 minutes, in an incursion “Unprecedented scandalous”.
And Romania reported, last week, violations of its air space by Russia.
In the context of increasingly frequent air spaces by Russia, which many EU officials say are a calculated approach of Moscow to test NATO defense, Zelenski has requested a common air defense strategy with Romania and Poland, which are part of NATO's eastern flank.
“I think it is fair to talk about a common decision. Not only to prevent the drone from falling over the head of the Ukrainians and reaching the Polish territory, but also to ensure that the decisions are taken together, ” said Ukrainian president on Saturday, in a discussion with journalists:
“Ukraine has proven to be defended by itself and Europebut for a reliable shield we must act together ”, a He wrote on the social platform X.
Volodimir Zelenski added that Ukraine's air defense systems should be ready to intercept the drones not only towards the Ukrainian territory, but also to Poland, Poland using their own air defense.
The Kiev leader stressed that the west of Ukraine – where Polish assistance is the most feasible – could serve as a starting point for such cooperation, while expanding the effort to Romania.
Against the background of the three and a half years of fatal Russian air attacks, Ukraine has developed a reputed drone industry and has accumulated a vast experience in counteracting unmanned aerial threats. He was also offered to share his expertise with the Allies.
The Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Denîs Şmîhal, said on Thursday that Ukrainian troops and geniuses will train Polish counterparts in a common drone combating group.
