The US has told the UN Security Council that it would “defend every inch of NATO territory” after a suspected Russian drone incursion into Poland.
Poland brought down about 20 Russian drones in its airspace on September 10 with the backing of aircraft from its NATO allies. It was the first time a member of the alliance was known to have fired shots in aggression during the Ukraine war.
In a demonstration of support for Poland, acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea, speaking at a session of the UN Security Council, said: “The United States stands by our NATO allies in the face of these alarming airspace violations.”
Shea also spoke about how Russia has intensified its bombing campaign against Ukraine since US President Donald Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in mid-August as part of his bid to broker an end to the Ukraine conflict.
“These [Russia’s] actions, now with the addition of violating the airspace of a US ally, intentionally or otherwise, show immense disrespect for good-faith US efforts to bring an end to this conflict,” Shea told the UN Security Council.
Her statement came in the aftermath of Trump’s comments on September 11 when he speculated that the drone incursion over Poland may have been by mistake.
The US earlier joined western allies in a collective statement on September 12 to express concern about the incident and accuse Moscow of violating international law and the founding UN Charter.
The statement also called on Russia to stop “its war of aggression against Ukraine” and desist from further provocations.
Russia defended itself at the UN Security Council meeting by saying its forces had been attacking Ukraine at the time of the drone incursions and that it had not intended to hit targets in Poland.
“There were no targets marked on Polish territory,” Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzya told the council on September 12.
“The maximum range of the drones used in this strike did not exceed 700 kilometres, which makes it physically impossible for them to have reached Polish territory.”
Russian commentators have pointed the finger of blame at Ukraine, arguing that electronic jamming of the drones by the Ukrainians could have unintentionally redirected drones over Polish territory, a claim that has not been verified by military experts.
Poland’s representative at the UN Security Council session, deputy foreign minister Marcin Bosacki, dismissed Nebenzya’s statements as “neo-Orwellian language combined with blatant lies,” adding that “every Russian accusation turns out to be a confession”.
He said the borders of Poland, NATO and the European Union had been “deliberately violated by Russia.
“We know that it was not a mistake.”
Meanwhile, European NATO States have stepped up to help Poland with its air defences.
France, Germany and Denmark have announced they will contribute fighter jets and other military assets to enhance defence of Poland against future Russian drone incursions.
The UK is expected to contribute to the Eastern Sentry mission, which will gradually be expanded across from the Arctic in the north to the Black Sea and Mediterranean in the south to better tackle Russian drones and missiles.
