"We must press on": expert Sierant on Poland's closure of skies over western Ukraine

He said this on the Espreso TV channel.

"The Polish government is quite determined in this matter, and so is Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. The military has a different split of votes, about 50/50. As for NATO partners, not everyone is happy about it. But we need to press on because without it, Ukraine will not be safe, and neither will NATO and the European Union be safe," said Sierant.

According to the Polish expert, if Poland closes the skies over western Ukraine, it will allow Ukrainians to move Ukrainian air defence systems from near Lviv or Lutsk to the centre of the country.

"Kharkiv will be defended, among other things. If this is not done, then we have a hand in what is happening in Kharkiv and other cities of Ukraine," Sierant added.

Closing the skies over Ukraine: what is known

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.