Berlin (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday that Russia’s intrusion into Polish and Romanian airspace is part of a larger pattern of boundary-testing and sabotage by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Russia wants to insidiously destabilise our free societies,”
Merz told the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament, stating that a peace agreement in the Ukraine fight can’t come at the expense of Ukraine’s political independence and territorial integrity.
“A dictated peace, a peace without freedom, would encourage Putin to seek his next target,”
Also said Merz.
How did Russian drones violate Polish and Romanian airspace?
A few days ago, in a serious incident, Poland said that it flew fighter jets and shot down Russian drones. Polish authorities said the attack, which caused the closure of Warsaw airport, involved a “dozen or so” drones, some of which they considered could have posed “a threat.” Dutch F-35 jets joined the Poles in confronting the overnight airspace violation.
German Patriot air defence systems and an Italian surveillance plane also played a role in taking down the drones, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said. There were no injuries, but the wreckage of one downed drone tore off the roof of a house in Wyryki-Wola, eastern Poland, near the Ukrainian and Belarusian borders.
According to Russia’s defence ministry, no targets were marked for destruction in Poland. However, they didn’t specifically deny that Russian drones entered Polish airspace. In contrast, Belarus’ deputy defence minister claimed the drones had gone off course.
Why does Merz think this incident will impact NATO air defense upgrades?
In a reaction, several European leaders immediately blamed Putin for a planned attempt to test NATO. Merz stated that the incursion highlights the need to upgrade NATO’s air defences in Europe substantially.
“First of all, I would like to note that European air defence, NATO air defence, worked, but of course not as well as it should have in order to prevent such a large number of drones from entering Polish airspace early enough,”
He said.
“This will trigger discussions within NATO. It will also trigger discussions within the European Union.”
He also said:
“We are and will remain determined to significantly increase the defence readiness and defence capabilities of the European part of NATO.”
