The threat of a Russian attack on Europe will be less real if Western Europe is strong through its alliances—the European Union and, above all, NATO—said Paweł Szefernaker, Chief of the President of Poland’s Cabinet, in an interview with Italy’s RAI 1. He also commented on the recent violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones.
Szefernaker has no doubt that to minimize the threat from Russia, the countries of Western Europe must spend more on defense. Referring to the violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones, he noted that this is a relatively new experience that will be used to strengthen security.
“The most important thing is that we showed our border is sacrosanct,” he said.
The Chief of the President’s Cabinet also pointed out that Poland has been threatened by hybrid attacks since 2021, when the eastern border began to be used to channel illegal migrants. “Together with disinformation campaigns and instances of violations of our airspace, this is a testing of our resilience within the North Atlantic Alliance,” he said.
He stressed that “for many years we lived in Europe convinced that our part of the world is exceptionally safe.” “I think it can continue to be safe,” he stated, emphasizing that what matters today are “calm, determination, and the strength of the community.”
On the night of September 9–10, there was an unprecedented violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones. Some of the craft were shot down by Polish and allied air forces. It was the first time in Poland’s modern history that the Air Force used weapons in the country’s airspace.