NATO chief Mark Rutte condemned Moscow’s “reckless behavior” after alliance member Poland said it shot down Russian drones in its airspace overnight, potentially marking a major escalation in the Ukraine war.
In a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Rutte stressed that member states “will defend every inch of NATO territory.”
Warsaw said the “huge number” of aircraft entering Polish airspace represented an “act of aggression.” It was the first such incident actively involving the Western military alliance’s forces engaging Russia’s since the Kremlin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s defense ministry said in a statement Wednesday that it had no intention of targeting Polish sites, AFP reported.
The episode came shortly after a top Russian security official threatened Finland — which joined NATO as a result of the war — with “the collapse of Finnish statehood forever.”
Vladimir Putin is “emboldened” by recent shows of support from Beijing, CNN reported: One US senator said Putin was “testing [NATO’s] resolve” to protect its eastern members from Moscow’s aggression.