“After the attack with Russian drones in Polish airspace, it became clear that this was not an accident, but a serious provocation“, said Polish Ambassador to Bulgaria Maciej Szymanski on the air of “Wake Up“ on Nova TV.
Szymanski gave a clear assessment of the events of recent days, in which Poland temporarily closed its airspace and the airport in Warsaw after about 19 drones were detected entering, for which Belarus had issued a warning in advance.
“These drones did not carry explosives, but were equipped with large fuel tanks – with the clear aim of being able to reach further“, said the ambassador. According to him, the situation is “a lesson“ for Poland and its allies.
Maciej Szymanski stressed that the help of NATO allies was key to neutralizing the threat. He highlighted the role of the Netherlands, which sent planes to shoot down the Russian drones. France, Italy and Germany also helped, he added.
Regarding the position of US President Donald Trump, the ambassador said: “Trump is trying to humiliate Russia, believing that Putin will show reason“.
According to Szymanski, Europe reacted too late to Russia's aggressive behavior. “More serious measures should have been taken years ago. Now we are paying the price – high, and not only financial“, he said, referring to the temporary closure of the Warsaw airport and the need for enhanced defense actions.
Poland is actively working with Ukraine to improve protection against drones. The ambassador revealed that Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski was in Kiev, where he finalized an agreement on the exchange of experience and technology.
“We have been working in this direction for months“, Szymanski emphasized.
The Polish ambassador noted that although Russia is currently significantly weakened, the danger of new provocations has not disappeared: “A real war will not start, but I do not rule out sending drones with explosives in the future”.
He added that on land and in the air, NATO has a huge advantage, but small drones remain a serious challenge.