Poland aims to improve its air defenses until it is “as secure as Israel”, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in Warsaw on Tuesday after a cabinet meeting on national security.
Tusk noted that Israel intercepted almost all of the missiles and drones fired at it by Iran over the weekend, while Ukraine, Poland’s neighbor to the south, is only able to intercept a third of Russian missiles.
“Our task today is to use all defense systems in Polish airspace to make Poland as safe as Israel,” he said. The conclusion to be drawn was that the airspace had to be controlled to improve Poland’s security, he said.
Tusk added that Poland is interested in joining the German “European Sky Shield” initiative, which would see several European countries purchasing Iris-T missiles from Germany with the aim of protecting European airspace.
Poland has been a strong military ally of Ukraine in its attempt to combat the Russian invasion over the past two years. It is also an important hub for Western weapons supplies to Ukraine. Poland is thus seen by Russia as a potential enemy.
Germany has supplied Ukraine with Iris-T missile systems and promised further deliveries.
