U.S. pressures Biden: Poland seeks missile defense boost over Ukraine

In the letter, Joe Wilson and Steve Cohen asked President Biden "to grant Poland the authority to intercept and neutralize missiles over Ukraine, particularly those threatening to encroach upon Polish airspace." They noted, "In this context, Poland’s request to intercept and neutralize missiles over Ukraine is both necessary and urgent as a support mechanism for Ukraine and a safeguard to the frontline of NATO’s borders."

Members of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe also referenced remarks by Radosław Sikorski, Poland's Minister of Foreign Affairs, made during a September interview with the British newspaper Financial Times. Sikorski stated that "Poland and other countries bordering Ukraine have a "duty" to shoot down incoming Russian missiles before they enter their airspace despite the opposition of Nato."

"I’m personally of the view that, when hostile missiles are on course of entering our airspace, it would be legitimate self-defense [to strike them] because once they do cross into our airspace, the risk of debris injuring someone is significant, it would be justified self-defense to strike them because once they cross into our airspace, the risk of injuring someone with debris is significant," argued the Minister of Foreign Affairs. At that time, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg rejected this proposal, stating that it threatened "becoming part of the conflict." His successor, Mark Rutte, has not yet commented on the matter.

Łukasz Pacholski, an expert from "Lotnictwo Aviation International" magazine, points out that Poland has the capability to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine. "We already have two sets of Patriot systems, ordered as part of the first phase of the Wisła Program. Additionally, we have at least two Mała Narew anti-aircraft systems, which are short-range systems developed in collaboration with the European industry, primarily with MBDA," he explains.

However, the expert highlights certain challenges related to the potential decision to shoot down missiles over Ukraine. "The biggest problem in this situation is that any interference by Polish air defense over Ukrainian territory could be perceived differently by the Russians. On one hand, it could be seen as NATO's involvement in the Ukrainian-Russian conflict. On the other hand, they could use it to their advantage because the configuration of Polish Patriot systems and Narew systems remains largely unknown to the Russians, especially regarding the radar frequencies used for fire control. For them, the combat use of these systems would be an opportunity to gather invaluable intelligence data," he says.

Another important issue is how Ukrainians themselves would perceive such a decision. There is a risk that debris from the shot-down Russian missiles would fall on inhabited areas of Ukraine, posing a serious threat to the civilian population and critical infrastructure. "This is clearly evident in incidents where something flew to us. On one hand, the object was over Poland, which means in Polish airspace; on the other hand, there was concern that shooting down the object and its debris over populated areas would cause more damage than its brief flight over Poland and re-entry into Ukrainian airspace," Łukasz Pacholski notes.

"The decision to actively use Polish anti-aircraft systems is therefore primarily a political one. We would have to consider whether it is really worth it for us. Because we already have the capabilities. Agreements made in the past are bearing fruit. Anti-aircraft equipment is being systematically delivered to units, and soldiers are being trained and are already achieving initial levels of operational readiness, which shows that in the event of an actual threat, this equipment could be used," the expert summarizes.