BRUSSELS/WARSAW: NATO announced plans to beef up the defense of Europe’s eastern flank on Friday, two days after Poland shot down drones that had violated its airspace in the first known action of its kind by a member of the Western alliance during Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Warsaw has portrayed the drone incursions as an attempt by Russia to test the capabilities of Poland and NATO to respond.
Earlier on Friday, it rejected Donald Trump’s suggestion that the incursions could have been a mistake, a rare contradiction of the US president from one of Washington’s closest allies.
Russia said its forces had been attacking Ukraine at the time of the drone incursions and that it had not intended to hit any targets in Poland.
“It’s reckless and unacceptable. We can’t have Russian drones entering allied air space,” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told a press conference, announcing operation “Eastern Sentry.”
