NATO to Help Ukraine Down Russian Jets but Won't Get Its Hands Dirty
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - NATO will not be directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict, limiting its aid to helping bring down Russian warplanes, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
Reuters cited Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk as saying last week that he hoped the July 9-11 NATO summit would discuss whether Poland should be allowed to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine.
NATO's stance on the military involvement in Ukraine remains unchanged, Stoltenberg said during a televised marathon. The alliance will support Ukraine in taking down Russian warplanes, but it will not be involved in the conflict directly, he added.
In late May, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Berlin and other allies did not seriously discuss the possibility of shooting down Russian missiles or drones over Ukraine as this would mean direct participation in the conflict.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Volodymyr Zelensky signed a 10-year security cooperation pact last Monday that includes a provision on a mechanism that will allow them to shoot down Russian missiles and drones heading for Poland while they are in the Ukrainian airspace.
White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby has pushed back on the idea, stating that the Biden administration doesn’t want to see the conflict escalate as a result of Poland downing Russian missiles over Ukraine.
