WARSAW: Poland shot down drones that entered its airspace during a widespread Russian attack in western Ukraine on Wednesday, with the NATO member calling the incursion "an act of aggression."
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that he was in "constant contact" with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Tusk has called for an emergency meeting of the council of ministers at 8 a.m. (0600 GMT), a government spokesman said.
Poland's military command said drones repeatedly violated Polish airspace during the Russian attack across the border, in western Ukraine, but that operations against these violations had now concluded.
Radars tracked more than 10 objects and those that could pose a threat were "neutralized," the command said.
"Some of the drones that entered our airspace were shot down. Searches and efforts to locate the potential crash sites of these objects are ongoing," it said in a statement.
It urged people to stay at home, naming the regions of Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, and Lublin as most at risk, adding: "This is an act of aggression that posed a real threat to the safety of our citizens."
Russia's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been briefed, CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins said on Tuesday. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
NATO is yet to comment on the incident.
Since the war started in 2022, there have been several incidents of Russian drones entering the airspace of states bordering Ukraine, including Poland and Romania, but they have so far avoided shooting them down.
Officials have cited the physical danger that such actions could cause and a desire to avoid an escalation in tensions between Russia and NATO.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the violations of Poland's airspace showed Russian President Vladimir Putin was expanding his war and testing the West.
"The longer he faces no strength in response, the more aggressive he gets," Sybiha said on X. " A weak response now will provoke Russia even more - and then Russian missiles and drones will fly even further into Europe."
Airport closed
Chopin airport in Warsaw, the country's largest, closed its airspace for several hours before reopening. It said there would be disruptions and delays through the day.
Most of Ukraine, including western regions of Volyn and Lviv which border Poland, had been under air raid alerts for nearly all night, according to Ukraine's air force.
Earlier, Ukraine's air force reported that Russian drones had entered NATO-member Poland's airspace, posing a threat to the city of Zamosc, but it subsequently removed that statement from the Telegram messaging app.
Measures against Russia to be decided
Trump, who warmly welcomed Putin to the United States for a summit in August, said over the weekend he was ready to move to a second phase of sanctioning Russia after months of fruitless talks about a peace deal.
It was his strongest indication yet that he may escalate pressure on Moscow or its oil buyers in response to the war in Ukraine.
The European Union's top sanctions official was in Washington on Monday to discuss what would be the first coordinated transatlantic measures against Russia since Trump returned to office in January promising to end the war in 24 hours.
