Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced Poland is triggering NATO’s Article 4 in response to the violation of Polish airspace by drones shot down by Polish and allied forces.
Tusk made the statement today, hours after the latest drones incident.
Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty can be used if any member state believes its “territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened”.
It has previously been invoked seven times, including by Poland, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Triggering Article 4 launches a consultation process within NATO, which can then lead to the alliance taking action.
In 2022, it resulted in NATO providing support to Ukraine and activating its own response force.
NATO is not treating the drone incursion into Polish territory as an attack, a NATO source told Reuters today, adding that initial indications suggested an intentional incursion of six to 10 Russian drones.
“It was the first time NATO aircraft have engaged potential threats in allied airspace,” the source said, adding NATO’s Patriot air defence systems in the region had detected the drones with their radars but not engaged them.
Polish F-16 fighter jets, Dutch F-35, Italian AWACS surveillance planes and mid-air refuelling aircraft jointly operated by NATO were involved in the early morning operation, according to the source.
Addressing parliament today, Tusk, who leads a centre-left ruling coalition, confirmed that there had been a “formal request to activate Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty”. He said that had been decided jointly with the opposition Conservative (PiS)-allied President Karol Nawrocki, who is commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
“The fact that these drones, which directly threatened our security, were shot down is a success for our and NATO’s military, but it also changes the political situation,” said Tusk.
He added that, during the consultations, Poland would make clear that it expects greater support in defending its airspace.
“Today, we must say very loudly and clearly, to the entire Western world that this is a confrontation that Russia has declared against the entire free world,” declared the PM.
French President Emmanuel Macron released a statement condemning Russia’s “unacceptable incursion” into Polish airspace and expressing “full solidarity with the Polish nation and government”. He added that NATO should not “make any compromises on the issue of the security of allies”.
Meanwhile, NATO’s top military commander, US General Alexus Grynkewich, said the alliance would react “quickly and decisively” to the incident but did not expand on what that response could entail.
Nineteen drones violated Polish airspace in today’s incident, some of which came directly from Belarus, with Minsk claiming that “the drones’ navigation systems were jammed”.
The BBC reported that Belarusian Deputy Defence Minister Pavel Muraveyka said in a recording posted on Telegram that the drones entered Polish airspace “by accident, after their navigation systems were jammed”.
“The drones lost their way and Belarus itself shot down several of them over its own territory,” Muraveyka was reported to have said.
The Russians deny any responsibility for the incursion of Polish airspace.
KP.ru, the portal of Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, maintained that Tusk, when commenting about the airspace violation, “did not provide any evidence or details” and that the Polish Armed Forces “provided no proof of the information’s veracity”.
Russia’s State news agency RIA Novosti likewise claimed Tusk “did not provide evidence” that Russian drones were shot down.
One of Russia’s war bloggers, Aleksandr Kots, expanded on that theme on his Telegram channel, claiming “no one has been shown the remains” of the drones and that “it is not difficult” to pass off as evidence the wreckage of Russian craft brought from Ukraine.
🚨 #BreakingNews | @RepublikaTV is the first to publish photos of a drone found in Mniszków, Opoczno County (100 km from Warsaw).
Our information: at least 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace. Those posing a threat were neutralized by the Air Force. Poland remains the only… pic.twitter.com/eoK9TpkOcE
— michal.rachon (@michalrachon) September 10, 2025
