Commenting on a report that bipartisan House members are urging President Joe Biden to allow Poland to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine, Sikorski said on X: "It's great to see both Republicans and Democrats backing a Polish proposal."
Sikorski's post came after the Washington political newspaper The Hill, reported that both Republicans and Democrats were urging Biden to authorize NATO ally Poland to intercept Russian missiles over Ukraine to safeguard its airspace.
According to The Hill, bipartisan leaders of the U.S. Helsinki Commission are advocating for Biden to authorize Poland to expand its air defense over Ukraine to help intercept Russian missiles, framing the move as an act of self-defense.
Bipartisan support for Poland
As reported by the newspaper, two congressmen--Democrat Steve Cohen and Republican Joe Wilson-have approached the US president with a request “to grant Poland the authority to intercept and neutralize missiles over Ukraine, particularly those threatening to encroach upon Polish airspace.”
The newspaper reported that Poland is advocating for an extension of its air defense system to protect its airspace from Russian missiles and potentially assist Ukraine’s defense efforts.
This initiative follows incidents where stray missiles have entered Polish territory, it said.
In November 2022, two Polish farmers lost their lives when a stray Ukrainian missile landed in Poland. In March this year, Russian missiles targeting Ukraine briefly crossed into Polish airspace.
The Hill recalled that, in an interview with the Financial Times published on September 1, Sikorski argued that "Poland has a ‘duty’ to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine."
Challenges of securing Ukraine's airspace amid war
According to the newspaper, closing Ukraine's airspace to Russian missiles represents one of the most significant challenges in the ongoing war, which began in February 2022.
While the issue of protecting Ukrainian airspace has been discussed within NATO, critics argue that the cautious approach of the Biden administration, which fears escalating the conflict, has only emboldened Putin, allowing him to continue the war against Ukraine with minimal consequences.
“In this context, Poland’s request to intercept and neutralize missiles over Ukraine is both necessary and urgent as a means of supporting Ukraine and safeguarding NATO’s borders,” Cohen and Wilson wrote in a letter, according to The Hill.
On the left is Chairman Joe Wilson, a Republican, and on the right is Congressman Steve Cohen, a Democrat (photo: house.gov)
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Source: The Hill/X/@sikorskiradek/@HelsinkiComm