The United States pledged on Friday to defend “every inch of NATO territory” after suspected Russian drones violated Polish airspace, marking the first known instance of the alliance directly firing on aerial threats linked to Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Speaking at the U.N. Security Council, acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea said the airspace breach was “alarming” and demonstrated “immense disrespect” for Washington’s efforts to broker peace. Her remarks sought to reassure allies unsettled after President Donald Trump suggested a day earlier that the drone incursion “could have been a mistake.”
“Intentional or otherwise, these actions show contempt for good-faith U.S. efforts to end this conflict,” Shea told the 15-member body, noting that Russia had stepped up bombing in Ukraine since Trump’s meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last month.
Polish officials strongly rejected the idea of an error. “We know, and I repeat, we know that it was not a mistake,” said Secretary of State Marcin Bosacki, who displayed photos of drone wreckage bearing Russian lettering.
“Poland will not be intimidated.” Slovenia’s ambassador Samuel Zbogar added that “it is hard to imagine so many drones flew so deep over Polish territory unintentionally.”
Russia denied responsibility. Its U.N. envoy Vassily Nebenzia insisted the drones used had a maximum range of 700 kilometers, making it “physically impossible” for them to reach Poland, and claimed Moscow had no targets marked on Polish soil. He said Russia was open to talks if Warsaw was “interested in reducing tensions rather than fomenting them.”
In a rare show of unity, the U.S. joined 43 countries in a joint statement accusing Moscow of violating international law and the U.N. Charter. The statement urged Russia to halt its war against Ukraine and avoid further provocations.
The incident has deepened concern about NATO’s exposure to the spillover effects of Russia’s three-year-old war in Ukraine.
Poland’s interception of the drones, carried out with support from allied aircraft, underscored the risks facing the alliance as Moscow expands its military pressure on Kyiv and tests NATO’s readiness to respond.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
