German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that the invasion of Russian drones into Polish airspace was a deliberate provocation by the Kremlin. He acknowledged that NATO air defense reacted, but not effectively enough to prevent a massive border violation. This is reported by Politico, according to UNN.
Details
Merz noted that this incident was another stage in a series of Russian provocations that have been observed for months in the Baltic region and on NATO's eastern flank. He emphasized that the drone attack is a serious threat to peace in Europe and confirms the deliberate nature of Moscow's actions.
This absolutely reckless action by the Russian government is part of a series of provocations that we have been observing in the Baltic region and on NATO's eastern flank for many months. This is a very serious threat to peace in Europe
He supported Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's assessment of the invasion's deliberateness and rejected the Kremlin's statements about an "accident" or "coincidence."
Merz paid special attention to the state of the air defense system. According to him, this incident showed that NATO's air defense in Europe needs significant improvement.
First of all, I would like to note that European air defense, NATO air defense, worked, but, of course, not as well as it should have to prevent such a large number of drones from entering Polish airspace.
In his opinion, this is a serious signal for the allies, which should be a reason for a deep discussion both within NATO and in the European Union.
"We are and will be resolutely determined to significantly strengthen the combat readiness and defense capabilities of the European part of NATO," – German Chancellor.
Recall
On the night of September 10, Russian attack drones flew into Polish airspace. This happened during a massive air attack on Ukraine. Rzeszów Airport was closed due to "unplanned military activity."
Russian kamikaze drones, attacking Ukraine, violated Polish airspace, causing international resonance. World leaders call for increased support for Ukraine and the defense of Europe.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz held talks with the defense ministers of allied countries, including Ukraine. They assured support for Poland's decisive actions after the Russian drone attack.