Discussion on whether to shoot down Russian drones over Ukraine is ongoing, Polish foreign minister says

A discussion is still underway over whether Poland should agree to Ukraine's request to shoot down Russian drones over Ukrainian territory.

Source: Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski speaking to journalists, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Sikorski said Poland is changing its rules on the use of force in the border area with Ukraine. However, Poland cannot unilaterally decide to shoot down aerial assets directly over Ukrainian territory.

Quote: "Personally, I understand Ukraine's request to shoot down drones over its territory. I believe that drones or missiles that pose a direct threat to our border constitute a hostile act and therefore provide grounds for self-defence. However, as you know, NATO has established an integrated defence system for the entire eastern flank. This means that the decision does not depend on Poland alone. So the discussion is ongoing, but we have not yet reached the decisions that would satisfy you."

Background:

• Poland recently announced that from 1 October it is changing its air defence procedures in response to Russian airstrikes on Ukraine. The changes concern simplified rules for detecting and shooting down foreign aerial assets in Polish airspace.
• Poland is also preparing a law on a "pre-war state", which is intended to establish rules for action in a situation where the country is not formally at war but the level of threat is already significantly higher than in peacetime.

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