Poland and the United Kingdom have issued warnings that they will respond to violations of their airspace, including through the use of force. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Poland will react firmly to any incursions and that Warsaw is “ready for any decision aimed at shooting down flying objects when they violate our territory and fly over Poland.”
However, he added a note of caution regarding ambiguous situations, such as the recent flight of Russian fighter jets near the Petrobaltic oil rig, which did not constitute a violation as it was not over Polish territorial waters. In such cases, Tusk emphasized the need to “really think twice before deciding on actions that could trigger a very acute phase of the conflict.”
Crucially, Tusk stressed that any decision to engage Russian jets would require absolute certainty that Poland “is not alone in this situation.” He stated, “I must be absolutely certain that all our allies will treat the situation exactly as we do. I must be absolutely certain that if the conflict enters such an acute phase, we will not be alone.”
Echoing this stance, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, speaking at a NATO Security Council meeting convened by Estonia following a similar Russian airspace incursion, stated that “if we have to deal with the incursion of aircraft operating in NATO airspace without permission, we will do so.”