Europe must be ready for Russia to strike deep into the continent, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski warned during a visit to London. He called the reluctance of some countries to build defense systems, including the so-called "drone wall" along NATO's eastern flank "irresponsible", he was quoted as saying by "Reuters".
Sikorski presented to the British parliament an Iranian Shahed-136 combat drone used by Russian forces that was shot down in Ukraine and called on European countries "to stay on course" in support of Kiev. He expressed hope that US President Donald Trump would allow the provision of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine so that it can step up its strikes against Russian infrastructure.
"Russia can, unfortunately, reach deep into Europe. That is why I think it would be irresponsible not to build a counter-drone capability today," Sikorski said, quoted by "Reuters" as he posed next to a downed drone in the British parliament.
The Polish minister stressed that Europe must increase supplies of ammunition to Ukraine, including anti-aircraft weapons, as well as short- and medium-range weapons, to ensure the protection of the entire continent. He pointed to specific incidents of Russian drones entering Polish airspace and fighter jets over Estonia. He said it was still unclear whether the drones registered over Copenhagen were also Russian.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier described as "nonsense" claims that Moscow could attack a NATO country. However, Sikorski insisted that the West should not underestimate the Kremlin's capabilities.
"The Ukrainians are planning this war for another three years — and that is reasonable. We need to convince Putin that we are ready to continue our support for at least that long," the Polish minister said.