Speaking during a press conference in Chișinău, Moldova where he was visiting on Wednesday, Tusk highlighted the challenges faced by military personnel in quickly and accurately identifying such objects to determine an appropriate response.
He recounted a specific incident on August 26 when an aerial object, likely an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), entered Polish territory near the Ukrainian city of Chervonohrad at around 6:43 a.m. and disappeared from radars over Tyszowce, a village in Poland's eastern Lublin region.
Despite ongoing searches, the object has not yet been located.
"The intention was to shoot down the object that violated our airspace," Tusk said, adding that "this remains an investigative matter."
He further stated that, although Poland is not at war, the possibility that an intruding object could be a military threat necessitates a precise identification process.
Tusk also addressed the inherent uncertainties in radar and visual reconnaissance, noting that objects might appear briefly, leaving military personnel with difficult decisions on whether to engage potentially civilian objects.
He stressed the ongoing discussions about possibly amending regulations to ensure military personnel feel secure in making these critical decisions without risking severe unintended consequences.
The prime minister told reporters that there are no criticisms of the military's conduct in these situations and said that the current priority is not to shoot down every detected object hastily, as this could lead to catastrophic outcomes.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP
