Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski has said that NATO countries should think about introducing a no-fly zone over Ukraine as a way of preventing drones from entering the airspace of the alliance's member states.
In an interview published by German daily newspaper 'Frankfurter Allgemeiner', Mr Sikorski said NATO and the European Union would be capable of enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
"Technically, we as NATO and the EU would be able to do this, but this is not a decision that Poland can make alone, but only with its allies," said Mr Sikorski.
"The protection for our population, for example, from falling debris, would of course be greater if we could fight drones and other flying objects beyond our national territory.
"If Ukraine asked us to shoot them down over its territory, that would be beneficial for us. If you ask me personally, we should think about it," he added.
NATO countries could shoot down drones
A no-fly zone would mean that NATO countries would shoot down Russian drones or missiles over Ukraine before they enter the airspace of a NATO member state.
Ukraine first requested Western military powers to enforce a no-fly over its territory during the initial weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 but NATO countries were reluctant to do so, believing that it could lead to a direct confrontation between the western military alliance and Russia.
During the initial stage of the war, both the United States and the United Kingdom opposed the idea of a no-fly zone over Ukraine and it is highly unlikely that the Trump administration would support such a move either.
War between NATO and Russia - Medvedev
Writing today on the social messaging service Telegram, Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president who is now a senior official on Russia's Security Council, said that the implementation of "a no-fly zone over Ukraine and the ability of NATO countries to shoot down our UAVs (drones) will only mean one thing - a war between NATO and Russia".
Last week, Poland reported that 19 drones had entered its airspace, mostly from Belarus, some of which were shot down by the Polish and Dutch air forces.
Warsaw has said Russia deliberately targeted Polish airspace with its drones as a way to test the country’s air defences and the country's Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the incursions "a large-scale provocation".
Poland subsequently invoked Article 4 of the NATO Treaty, a clause that allows a member state to call for consultations with other alliance members when it considers that its territorial integrity is threatened.
Mr Sikorski told the German newspaper that Wednesday’s drone incursions were "a wake-up call to accelerate our defence preparations".
Read more: High tension: Poland after the drone incursions
"I don't think it's a coincidence that 19 drones suddenly appeared in our home by mistake. Our air force repelled the threat for seven hours," he said.
The Polish foreign minister also suggested that a maritime control zone could be established by NATO in the Baltic Sea to limit the movement of Russia’s shadow fleet – mostly old vessels that transport Russian oil exports, and that are registered to third-party countries.
To-date, the EU has sanctioned more than 440 of the tankers which bans them from docking and receiving services at ports in EU member states.
