Poland and other countries bordering Ukraine have a duty to shoot down Russian missiles before they enter their airspace - despite NATO's opposition.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told the Financial Times.
Sikorski said that Warsaw is committed to ensuring the safety of its citizens, despite fears that intercepting them over Ukrainian territory could draw the Atlantic Alliance into Russia's war against Ukraine.
"Membership in NATO does not cancel the responsibility of each country to protect its own airspace - it is our own constitutional duty," Sikorski said.
"I personally believe that when enemy missiles are on their way to our airspace, it would be legitimate self-defence (to strike them), because once they invade our airspace, the risk that the debris could injure someone becomes significant," the minister added.
Earlier this summer, Poland signed a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine, in which the two countries pledged to explore ‘the feasibility of possible interception in Ukrainian airspace of missiles and UAVs fired towards the territory of Poland, following the necessary procedures agreed by the states and organisations involved.’
However, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who will soon be stepping down, rejected the proposal, saying that the alliance ‘could become part of the conflict.’Sikorsky insisted on his country's right to intercept after a Russian drone allegedly crossed into Poland on 26 August. Since then, Polish authorities have been searching for the drone, which may have landed in Ukraine after it allegedly veered off course during a massive Russian missile attack on Ukraine.
Other missiles have landed in Poland since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Russian drones have also recently entered Romanian airspace.
Sikorski said that the risk of Polish casualties increases as the missile gets closer to its target during interception, so it is better to shoot it down at a higher altitude over Ukraine. "The Ukrainians told us: please," he added.
Some Western officials say this stance blurs the red lines against Western intervention and could lead to Russian retaliation.
- Kyiv has been pushing its Western allies to become more involved in the war, including by providing air defence over western Ukraine from batteries located on NATO territory. The allies have also been repeatedly asked to introduce a no-fly zone over Ukraine. NATO has rejected such calls, stating that it could lead to direct conflict with Russian forces.