NATO chief rejects Poland's accusations of shooting down Russian missiles over Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg rejected Poland's proposal to use its air defense systems to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukrainian territory, reaffirming NATO's policy of not intervening directly in the conflict.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has expressed his disagreement with the proposal that Poland should use its air defense systems to shoot down Russian missiles over the territory of Ukraine. Stoltenberg said this in an interview broadcast during a telethon, UNN reports.
Details
The journalist asked Stoltenberg about the possibility of Polish air defense systems shooting down missiles aimed at their territory while over Ukraine.
"NATO will continue to support Ukraine, and we have already stepped up our support... But NATO's policy remains unchanged - we will not participate in this conflict. We will not become part of the conflict. So we are helping Ukraine to destroy Russian aircraft, but NATO will not be directly involved," he said.
Stoltenberg reiterated his position that "Ukraine has the right to attack legitimate military targets on the territory of the aggressor Russia." He noted that different countries have imposed different restrictions on the use of weapons they provide to Ukraine. At the same time, he welcomed the US decision to allow the use of US missiles to strike Russian territory near the border with Ukraine in the Kharkiv region.
Asked to comment on the idea of a possible NATO membership for the government-controlled part of Ukraine, and then the occupied territory, Stoltenberg said: "We have seen different models, and I will be careful in saying what solution will be applied to Ukraine.
