Polish FM hopes NATO to allow interception of Russian missiles over Ukraine

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski hopes that NATO and its member countries, particularly the United States, will change their stance and agree to allow allied air defenses to intercept Russian missiles over the Ukrainian territory.

This was stated by Polish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Paweł Wroński in a comment to an Ukrinform correspondent.

According to Wroński, Minister Sikorski has long advocated the need for allied forces to intercept Russian missiles heading toward Poland while they are still over Ukraine. Wroński noted that Sikorski’s stance, which he continues to hold, has "repeatedly faced criticism within NATO."

"As we know, NATO countries, as well as the organization itself, and even the United States, have expressed opposition to this initiative. However, Minister Sikorski remains hopeful that this position (of the allies) may change," Wroński stated.

Previously, Sikorski responded positively in his post on X to a bipartisan appeal from U.S. Congress members to President Joe Biden, urging him to permit Poland to intercept Russian missiles over Ukraine. Leaders of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (the Helsinki Commission), Republican Joe Wilson and Democrat Steve Cohen, called on Biden to allow Poland to intercept Russian missiles over Ukraine as part of self-defense measures.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has mentioned that Ukraine has consistently asked Poland to intercept missiles over Ukraine, to which Warsaw has responded that it is ready to do so if NATO supports such a decision.