US accuses Russia of violating international law after drone attack on Poland – Reuters
The United States has stated at a UN Security Council meeting that Moscow had violated international law and the UN Charter when Russian drones entered Polish airspace.
Source: Reuters
Details: Acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea stressed that Washington will "defend every inch of NATO territory" and it stands by its allies in the face of "these alarming airspace violations".
Her remarks followed those of US President Donald Trump, who had suggested that the drone incident may have been a "mistake".
Quote from Shea: "The United States stands by our NATO allies in the face of these alarming airspace violations."
Details: Shea also noted that Russia had stepped up its bombardment of Ukraine following Trump's meeting with Kremlin leader Putin in Alaska as part of attempts to reach a peace deal.
Quote from Shea: "These actions, now with the addition of violating the airspace of a US ally – intentionally or otherwise – show immense disrespect for good-faith US efforts to bring an end to this conflict."
Details: Poland reported on Wednesday 10 September that its forces had downed several drones in its airspace with the support of NATO allies’ aircraft. This is the first time a NATO member has opened fire during Russia's war against Ukraine.
Quote from Poland's Secretary of State Marcin Bosacki: "We know, and I repeat, we know that it was not a mistake."
Details: Bosacki showed the wreckage of a downed drone bearing Russian inscriptions. He stressed that Poland "will not be intimidated".
Russia denied conducting an attack on Poland. Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, claimed that "there were no targets marked on Polish territory" and that the drones' range "did not exceed 700 kilometres, which makes it physically impossible for them to have reached Polish territory." Moscow also declared its readiness for dialogue with Warsaw to reduce tensions.
The United States joined Western allies in a joint statement accusing Russia of violating international law and the UN Charter. The document calls on Moscow to end its "war of aggression against Ukraine" and to refrain from further provocations. The statement was endorsed by 43 countries.
Background:
- The latest data indicated that wreckage of Russian drones had been found in 17 settlements across five Polish voivodeships, most of them – 10 – in Lublin Voivodeship.
- Against this backdrop, the North Atlantic Alliance decided to launch an operation called Eastern Sentry to strengthen its eastern flank.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed that NATO respond effectively to the Russian drone attack in a form that would not mean the Alliance's direct involvement in the war.
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