On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a new bilateral security pact he signed in Warsaw includes a mechanism for Poland to shoot down Russian missiles and drones.
“We are especially grateful for the special arrangements, and this is reflected in the security agreement. It provides for the development of a mechanism to shoot down [by Poland] Russian missiles and drones fired in the airspace of Ukraine in the direction of Poland,” Zelensky said at a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk after signing the deal.
“I am confident that our teams and the teams of the ministries of defense, together with our military, will work together to work out how we can quickly implement this point of our agreements,” the Ukrainian leader added, according to Ukrinform.
Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials have been pushing for NATO countries to intercept Russian missiles over Ukraine or to create a no-fly zone in western Ukraine, which would amount to direct NATO involvement in the war. The step would risk a Russia-NATO war, which could quickly turn nuclear, but European NATO countries aren’t ruling out the idea.
Russian missiles have briefly entered Poland’s airspace, and Russian drone fragments have been found in Romania. But the only time an incident led to casualties was when a Ukrainian air defense missile landed in Poland, killing two people. Ukrainian officials initially claimed it was a Russian missile in an attempt to provoke NATO intervention.
The Ukrainian-Polish agreement also commits Warsaw to training more Ukrainian troops on its territory. “The Ukrainian Legion will train in Poland and be equipped with the help of our partners. Every Ukrainian citizen who decides to join the Legion will be able to sign a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Our teams are currently working out all the details of this proposal,” Zelensky said.
Allowing Poland and the Baltic countries into NATO was a grave mistake. They beat the war drums at a much harder pace than most of the West. Poland apparently learned nothing from WWII. This is clearly a way to make an excuse for NATO to go all in. WWIII, here we come! Just sleepwalking into it, just like 1914.
It’s strange how they fear Russia, but I assume they're just poor and easily influenced. If you control the media and academia, you can probably direct those polities.
Perhaps. But "front line" states and statelets are often more hard line than their sponsors. Like the way Unionists who dominated in Northern Island were often more "British" than actual Britons and the British government.
The whole raison d'etre of these embattled little polities and their worst parties and politicos is tied up with being "anti" something. The Protestant Unionists in NI in being anti Catholic and anti Irish Republic. And the Polish and Baltic hypernationalists in being anti Russian.
That’s an excellent response. It reminds me a little of how Rhodesians and likely some other colonials were “more British than the British.”
Nevertheless, the Baltics would be kin to the Russians, and “Ulster Scots” are obviously kin to the Irish. The Scots came from Ireland! It’s silly.
I seem to have Irish ancestors of both the native Irish and “Ulster Scot” description (the latter seems to have not spent long in Ireland and may have even been first-generation — he arrived in Maryland in the 17th century). That reminds me, my sister-in-law saved my late brother’s genealogical research and I need to get it from her.
did you just say that your brother is deceased?
my sister is deceased
my dad was either Irish or Scottish – I have no idea which.
my last name starts with Mc
I'm like McJerk or McSuck or McSomething.
…. spy
edit = my name is Mack and not Mick, which probably makes me Scottish and not Irish.
so yalls can refer to me as Mack Spy
I hate you, …… Spy
OMG I am all the way over in Los Angeles and I am terrified of Russia's punk-ass.
what
They are taking orders from Washington. U.S. rulers need a bigger war in Europe. It is a time to push next pawn into the game.
… and with a brain-dead Commander in Chief.
Shoot down what with what? Zelensky really need to put down the crack pipe…
I, myself, do not fancy WWIII. Time to cool our jets a bit and move forward in a more productive way. Time for ceasefire talks…
It appears Poland is setting itself up to be a giant impact area for Russian missiles. If Poland makes a move to shoot down Russian weapons, that's an attack and opens Poland up to total retaliation without triggering NATO involvement. The fun part is that if Poland involves itself in the conflict, that will give Russia every reason in the world to steamroll the Ukraine and roll right up to Poland's border, if not put boots on the ground in Poland itself.
It's tough for Poland. They're closer to Russia but they have a long way to go for the honor of being the first country to be obliterated. Putin probably wants to see that before he dies.
Putin has a long way to go before he would even be in shape to obliterate Poland.
The Poles conducted a war game a while back in which they were supplied with all the US weapons – Abrams, Patriots, etc. – fighting a Russian invasion.
Their own war game showed the entire Polish army would be obliterated in FIVE DAYS.
I feel sorry for Zelensky. How hard does he have to work to get WWIII started? …What's that? …You're correct. …I'm lying. I care less about Zelensky than he cares about the Ukrainians.
Hmmm.
According to Politico:
Zelenskyy and Tusk also agreed to discuss the possibility of shooting down Russian missiles and drones fired in the direction of Poland. Several such weapons have crossed over Poland’s airspace, but Warsaw has not intercepted them.
https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-poland-security-deal-aid-package-war-russia/
As usual with Zelensky and his weaselly statements, there is less here than meets the eye.
Here is the relevant text from the agreement itself:
The Participants agree on the need to continue their bilateral dialogue and dialogues with other partners, aimed at examining rationale and feasibility of possible intercepting in Ukraine’s airspace missiles and UAVs fired in the direction of territory of Poland, following necessary procedures agreed by the States and organisations involved.
https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/ugoda-pro-spivrobitnictvo-u-sferi-bezpeki-mizh-ukrayinoyu-ta-92009#:~:text=Poland%20will%20cooperate%20with%20Ukraine,and%20other%20relevant%20international%20frameworks.
Very, very weak tea.
Very true … still, to have the possibility of start of ww3 in the hands of a Tusk or the Baltic "presidents" is not, shall we say, reassuring …
Indeed!
Nobody should have that much power.
Poland has a fetish of getting annexed. They have a thing for a Russian brute.
Zelensky's wet dream is to embroil NATO / America in World War III with Russia.
Perhaps Nostradamus was right in that an evil man from the East will end the world.
I suspect Zelenskyy’s wet dream is to remain alive until he can find a way to retire abroad, and that he considers slavishly following US/UK/EU/NATO instructions to be key to succeeding.
If the whole project goes south, Zelensky will get the blame no matter how slavishly he follows orders. He is the perfect fall guy.
The Polish have a higher IQ than the Polish-Lithuanian- Ukrainians.
yes boys and girls Ukraine is split between various Eastern European tribes that have been at war for thousands of years. Ukraine is fractured along ethnic, cultural, and religious lines.
Poland could shoot down Russian missiles ?
OMG you couldn't make this shit up.
I actually used proper punctuation for once.
that's how stupid I am.
OMG
what