Poland hopes US will act in solidarity on Russian drone incursion, foreign minister says

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By Anna Dabrowska and Yuliia Dysa

KYIV (Reuters) -Poland hopes Washington will take action to show solidarity with Warsaw after Russia’s drone incursion this week, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told Reuters on Friday, despite President Donald Trump having played the incident down.

Poland shot down Russian drones that had crossed into its airspace on Wednesday, the first time a NATO member has opened fire during Russia’s war in Ukraine.

European countries have condemned the incident. But Washington mostly has held back from strong words, and Trump said “it could have been a mistake”, prompting Poland, one of Washington’s closest allies in the EU, to contradict the U.S. president and say Russia’s actions were clearly intentional.

In an interview with Reuters in Kyiv, where he was visiting to show solidarity with Ukraine, Sikorski said Warsaw still hoped for a stronger line from Washington to teach Russian President Vladimir Putin his actions would have consequences.

‘WE DON’T BELIEVE IN 20 MISTAKES THE SAME NIGHT’

“So we hope the United States will join other allies in solidarity,” he said.

He added separately: “We need to collectively show Putin that there are limits to his hybrid war, where we will stop him. Because remember, this is not an isolated incident. It’s part of a pattern.”

Moscow, commenting on Wednesday’s incident, has said that it never intended to target Poland.

Sikorski said it was clear from the duration of the incursion, the number of Russian drones involved and their trajectory that it was impossible for it to have been an accident.

“We don’t believe in 20 mistakes the same night,” he said. “The air fight took seven hours. Seven hours is not a mistake.”

Poland has no intention to discuss the incident directly with Russia, he said.

“There is nothing to consult about. We know Russia did it. And we are sick and tired of their obfuscations and their lies.”

After years of Western military support for Ukraine, the drone threat is an area in which Ukraine now has lessons to teach its benefactors.

Ukraine is heavily dependent on Western long-range air defence systems to shoot down missiles, but has also developed a sophisticated domestic approach to repelling Russian attacks using hundreds of drones. Following Wednesday’s incident, Kyiv has offered Warsaw its help and expertise.

“It has plenty of experience with dealing with drones, both electronically and kinetically, that we need to integrate into our procurement and adoption,” Sikorski said.

Polish military representatives are expected in Ukraine on September 18 on the matter, Sikorski’s Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha said on Friday.

(Writing by Yuliia Dysa)