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Poland says UN security council will meet over violation of Polish airspace
And it’s now confirmed: Poland says the UN security council will host an emergency meeting at Poland’s request.
“(We are) drawing the world’s attention to this unprecedented Russian drone attack on a member of the UN, EU, and Nato,” deputy prime minister and foreign minister Radosław Sikorski told RMF FM radio.
“I have spoken before the UN security council in the past, and it seemed to me that our arguments resonated, that they broke through. We have not yet decided who will speak on behalf of Poland,” he said.
Sikorski also insisted that the attack was deliberate.
“19 violations of our airspace, several dozen drones identified, a few shot down, the action lasting 7 hours, the whole night – so we cannot say it was an accident,” he said.
Sikorski said Poland was getting “a tsunami” of declarations of support from allies, but “needs this to be translated to facts.”
He also warned against suggestions that the drones were of Ukrainian, not Russian origin, dismissing them as part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
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We have a bit more details on Poland’s decision to ban drone flights and introduce restrictions on air traffic along its eastern border with Belarus and Ukraine (9:39).
The restrictions, which do not affect passenger traffic, went into force at 2200 GMT on Wednesday and apply through 9 December, the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) said in a statement quoted by Reuters.
General aviation, mainly small and recreational aircraft and helicopters, can operate during the day provided they have a radio and transponder, but cannot fly at night, PANSA said.
Flights will be permitted only up to a height of about 3 km (1.86 miles) above ground level, it said. Commercial flights usually fly at altitudes over 3 km above the ground.
“The zone extends from 26 to 46 km inland, depending on the location,” PANSA statement read.
Russian drone attack was 'test of our capabilities,' Poland's Nawrocki tells airmen
Poland’s president Karol Nawrocki is now visiting a military airbase in Poznań-Krzesiny.
Thanking airmen for their service, he said:
“This Russian provocation, as the generals and our soldiers are well aware, was nothing more than an attempt to test our capabilities; our ability to respond, including that of politicians, the President of Poland, and the Prime Minister of Poland, to what is happening in today’s world, what is happening right now.
It was an attempt and a provocation to check the functioning within the North Atlantic Alliance and our readiness to respond.”
He continued:
“And for that, I want to thank you … because we have passed all these tests. Both the political test and the partnership test within the North Atlantic Alliance, carrying out our diplomatic tasks since last night, and above all the military test – your readiness to respond to the Russian provocation.”
Russia shows 'no respect for US or Europe' by Poland incursion, former US top general in Europe warns
Ben Hodges, former commanding general of United States Army Europe, warned that the Russian incursion into Polish airspace showed the Russian forces “have no respect for the US or Europe” as “they are quite certain that none of us will take any meaningful action.”
He also appeared to be critical of the way Poland responded to the attack, as he continued:
“Using fighter jets to shoot down drones? The Ukrainians don’t do it that way. We are still not prepared for Russian drones or missiles entering our airspace. We need ground-based systems, like those the Ukrainians use to shoot them down.”
Hodges also called for EU and US sanctions to be tightened further, arguing that many components in the drones used against Poland were “most likely [sourced] from western countries.”
“Companies know where and what they are selling. Saying, ‘we didn’t send this to Russia,’ is irresponsible. The priority should be on enforcing the existing sanctions, not adding new ones that will not be respected,” he told Polish website Wirtualna Polska.
'Putin will move towards peace when he realises he cannot win at acceptable cost,' Poland's Sikorski says
Poland’s Sikorski was also asked about the prospects for the war in Ukraine.
He told RMF FM:
“I am not one of those who believe in quick solutions. This is a colonial war. Historically speaking, such wars usually lasted about a decade.”
He continued:
“Putin will move toward peace when he realises that he cannot win it at an acceptable cost, and he still believes he is winning.
That is why talk of reaching an agreement with him in fact prolongs the war, because it reinforces Putin’s belief that he can achieve politically what his army is unable to achieve in Ukraine.”
Sikorski warned that Putin was “waging a hybrid war across all of Europe,” and “his goals, I believe, are more ambitious than some people think.”
“He not only wants to dominate Ukraine, but also to push the United States out of Europe and divide the alliance,” he stressed.
Poland says UN security council will meet over violation of Polish airspace
And it’s now confirmed: Poland says the UN security council will host an emergency meeting at Poland’s request.
“(We are) drawing the world’s attention to this unprecedented Russian drone attack on a member of the UN, EU, and Nato,” deputy prime minister and foreign minister Radosław Sikorski told RMF FM radio.
“I have spoken before the UN security council in the past, and it seemed to me that our arguments resonated, that they broke through. We have not yet decided who will speak on behalf of Poland,” he said.
Sikorski also insisted that the attack was deliberate.
“19 violations of our airspace, several dozen drones identified, a few shot down, the action lasting 7 hours, the whole night – so we cannot say it was an accident,” he said.
Sikorski said Poland was getting “a tsunami” of declarations of support from allies, but “needs this to be translated to facts.”
He also warned against suggestions that the drones were of Ukrainian, not Russian origin, dismissing them as part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
Morning opening: No-fly zone
Jakub Krupa
Poland has requested an emergency UN security council meeting after an incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace earlier this week.
As the fallout from the incident continues, Poland also seeks to step up its defences with plans to restrict air traffic in the eastern part of the country, in areas neighbouring with Belarus and Ukraine, which will be closed until 9 December.
Later this morning we should hear from Nato’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich today and get his assessment on what happened in Polish skies on Thursday morning.
Separately, the focus will be turning to Brussels in the anticipation of more details about the next, 19th, package of sanctions against Russia and hopes that the measures could be closely coordinated with the US administration.
US energy secretary Chris Wright is in Brussels too, for talks on energy.
Looks like a busy day ahead. I will bring you all the key updates here.
It’s Thursday, 11 September 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
