Poland ready to shoot down Russian missiles if threatened

(Dan Tri) - Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz declared that Warsaw is ready to shoot down Russian missiles if they pose a direct threat to Poland or NATO countries.

Patriot air defense missile system made in the US (Photo: US Army).

In an interview with Voice of America (VOA), Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysh stated: "We have prepared air defense systems, we also have reinforced air defense systems. We are talking about Rzeszow airport, which is being transferred to NATO protection."

"Our allies, the US, the UK, Germany, Norway and others, protect us at the airbase. And if this airspace is violated, a missile or a drone will be shot down," he stressed.

Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz (Photo: Wikimedia).

"The situation is different when it comes to shooting down targets on Ukrainian territory. There is no single NATO decision on this issue. We will defend our territory," Kosiniak-Kamysh said. "We regularly put our F-16s on alert to act appropriately if there is a threat to Poland to protect our territory," he added.

"There were no cases of missiles targeting Polish territory, but it is true that last week Polish F-16s were alerted and took off, ready to protect the area near the border," he said.

Poland has beefed up its air force in response to Russia's large-scale combined offensive on areas in Ukraine on December 13.

Earlier, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that Russian missiles should be shot down over Ukrainian territory if they threaten to enter Polish airspace, even if they are shot down over Polish territory, the risk to citizens will increase.

In the fall, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers urged President Joe Biden to allow Poland to use its air defense systems to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine.

And Secretary Sikorski said again that he hopes NATO will grant Warsaw permission to use its air defense systems to shoot down Russian missiles flying over Ukraine and possibly threatening Poland.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/ba-lan-san-sang-ban-ha-ten-lua-nga-neu-bi-de-doa-20241222112533682.htm