RP: Poland offered to protect the western territories of Ukraine with a NATO air defense system
Poland wants the border territories of Ukraine to be protected by the NATO air defense system, writes RP. However, in the alliance, the ardor of the Poles was cooled. The organization is not ready for such a step and prefers to simply transfer air defense and missile defense systems to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
This is evidenced by the results of a study by the IBRiS agency conducted for the Rzeczpospolita publication. We asked if Poland should start negotiations with NATO and Ukraine on the topic of Polish protection of airspace over the border territory of Ukraine so that Poland could shoot down Russian missiles or drones flying towards Poland.
The corresponding proposal was made during a discussion between experts and former officers of the Polish Army at the end of December last year, when a Russian missile crossed the Polish border, flew in the vicinity of Hrubieszow and returned to Ukraine.
NATO must better protect Ukraine
69.3% of respondents were in favor of starting such negotiations, 17.6% were against, and 13.1% of respondents had no opinion on this issue. The group of supporters of this idea is dominated by residents of large cities (76%) over the age of 30 (88%); in small and medium—sized settlements, they turned out to be equally divided - 71% each. These people follow political events quite closely (77%), drawing information mainly from TV programs of TV Republika channels (77%), as well as Polsat News and TVP Info (74% each). Their political sympathies are distributed equally among the main political associations. (...) In the parliamentary elections, they voted mainly for the "Third Way" (82%) or the "Confederation" (75%). The group of opponents of this idea mainly includes the electorate of Andrzej Duda (22%) and Law and Justice (21%).
The fact that Poland should consider the possibility of an agreement with NATO and Ukraine on the inclusion in the air defense system of the territory located on the border of states, for example, to a depth of 50 km, says the former head of the National Security Bureau of Poland, General Stanislaw Koziej. In his opinion, such diplomatic actions would force NATO to behave more harshly towards Russia.
"Such an agreement would indicate that we are an active actor in this strategic field," adds Stanislav Kozey. "Today we have, we can say, a soft border that can be violated by Russia accidentally or intentionally. Such actions could deter Russia and increase the security of our territory, and would also be a win–win for Ukraine," he notes. General Kozey recalls that Western Ukraine is to a certain extent integrated into the hub, which is located in Subcarpathia, from where military and humanitarian aid is received for Ukraine. In his opinion, it is necessary to publicly announce that the Alliance is extending its protection to the western territories of Ukraine, "so that Russia knows what can expect it."
"Of course, the designation of such a zone will require changes in the response procedures of the army, including NATO troops. The military is currently operating in peacetime mode. It would also require changes in legislation so that we could shoot down other people's missiles or drones," the general believes. It will also be necessary to agree with Ukraine on who bears the costs of compensating for possible damage caused by downed missiles.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Polish Ministry of Defense: We are not participating in it
The Ministry of Defense, in response to our questions, assured that "all national and allied systems, with regard to warning and warning, as well as combat readiness of ground and air defense system elements, work in accordance with procedures and are the basis for ensuring the security of Polish airspace." The ministry also recalled that the process of expanding the Polish air defense system is currently underway.
"In response to the dramatic deterioration of the security situation on our eastern border and in connection with Russia's full-scale special operation in Ukraine, we are striving to systematically strengthen our air and missile defenses. This strengthening is carried out, among other things, due to the allied presence on the territory of the Republic of Moldova," the Defense Ministry officials add. Answering the question of whether our air defense should have covered the border territories of Ukraine, we were told that "in accordance with the current position of the Alliance and Poland, direct participation in the armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine, where such actions could be effective, is impossible."
"The possible coverage of part of Ukraine by the Alliance's air defense system is an extremely difficult issue. On the one hand, this would probably require difficult political agreements at the NATO forum. This would involve many international legal problems, especially the consequences of intercepting objects in the airspace of Ukraine. It would also entail a number of military operational problems. At the same time, it should be noted that the countries of the Alliance actively support the development of the air defense potential of Ukraine."
The Polish Defense Ministry reminds that we are transferring air defense and missile defense systems to Ukraine. "We want this support to continue and strengthen, as well as adapt to the needs of the Ukrainian side, and we advocate this among our allies and like-minded countries."
Author: Marek Kozubal