Poland, he added, has a right to shoot down Russian missiles that risk crossing into its territory “we assume, by mistake.” However, the foreign minister went on, intercepting them only after they have crossed the border presents a “dilemma” given the debris can cause damage by itself.
“The Ukrainians are saying, ‘Please, we will not mind, do it over our airspace when they’re in imminent danger of crossing into Polish territory. To my mind, that’s self-defense, but we are exploring the idea,” Sikorski said.
That marks a departure from Warsaw’s previous positions on the issue. Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the country’s deputy prime minister and minister for defense, told Polish Radio earlier this week that the move would require sign-off from NATO allies amid fears over potential escalation.
“If NATO does not make such a decision, Poland will not make it individually,” he said.
Russia has carried out a string of strikes against civilian targets in recent weeks, killing two and injuring 16 others during an attack on Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital on Monday.
The U.N. has confirmed a “high likelihood” that the carnage was the result of a “direct hit” by a Russian rocket, rather than being caused by a missile being shot down, as Moscow has claimed in previous such cases. The International Criminal Court has begun an investigation into a potential war crime, Kyiv said Friday.
