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.

Poland places its forces on full alert and closes several airports as ‘hostile objects’ violate airspace.

Poland places its forces on full alert and closes several airports as drones violate airspace.