Military expert on Polish hesitation to close skies over Ukraine

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV on June 4.

"I believe that for Polish politicians, the most important thing is to ensure the unity of NATO. Poland should avoid taking any actions that could jeopardize other NATO countries' ability to fulfill their alliance commitments if war were to come to Poland. It is crucial for Poland that any decision regarding military action is made collectively by NATO, rather than independently by Poland. We must understand that if Polish aircraft, such as F-16s, engage in combat with Russian warplanes, Russia will be compelled to respond or escalate the situation. I'm not saying that it's the wrong decision, but it's one that requires extensive consultation with representatives from other NATO countries, including the United States. Failing to do so could lead to the perception that Poland initiated a war with Russia," Adamski explained.

According to him, under these circumstances, Poland may not have to leave its airspace to intercept missiles heading towards Ukraine's western border. However, there is concern that Russia could retaliate by targeting aircraft or infrastructure in Poland. In this scenario, Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty would be triggered. This means that if a NATO member is attacked, all members will consider it an attack on each of them and take action to provide assistance.

"NATO has officially existed since 1949, but its Article 5 has never been tested in practice. We hope that in the event of an armed attack, all allies will come to the rescue. However, Poland's past experience in 1939, when it asked help from France and did not receive it, raises concerns. Unlike many other countries, Poland shares borders with Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. While Polish politicians want to assist Ukraine, they must consider the potential for Russian retaliation and the threat of the war spreading to the territory of Poland itself," said the deputy director of the Juliusz Mieroszewski Centre for Dialogue.

When asked whether Russia's provocations in the Baltic Sea and the electronic warfare systems that blocked the northern airspace, making it dangerous for Polish aircraft to enter, could be considered a transfer of hostilities to Poland, Adamski replied: "I agree, but Poland wants to manage that risk, so we need to make a collective decision on shooting down Russian missiles."

Closing the skies over Ukraine

Earlier, the spokesman for the Air Force Command, Ilya Yevlash, said that Poland has Patriot systems, so it could technically close the skies over the western regions of Ukraine.

Also, Bundestag member from the Christian Democratic Union Roderich Kiesewetter said that partner countries should provide air defence over the western regions of Ukraine.

BILD wrote that some NATO countries are ready to expand their support for Kyiv and act directly on the territory of Ukraine - the possibility of closing the skies with air defence systems in western Ukraine is being discussed.

On May 28, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, in an address to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, called on neighbouring countries to close the skies over Ukraine's western regions.