By Alperen Aktas
ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia’s attacks on civilians, government buildings, and its drone incursion into Polish territory require stronger Western responses, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday.
“By deliberately violating Polish airspace, Russia is testing Western responses. And these responses must be strong,” Sybiha said on Telegram after his call with European Commissioner for Home Affairs Nicolas Schmit Barrot.
He urged both Europe and the US to step up pressure on Moscow and cut its war financing, warning that “weak responses can only encourage further aggression.”
“Ukraine needs additional air defense capabilities, especially ahead of the winter season. We need to enable the use of partner air defense together with Ukrainian one to intercept Russian missiles and drones together,” he stressed.
“It’s time for peace through strength and real action,” Sybiha added.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk earlier said his country’s airspace was violated by Russian drones overnight, and that several were downed by Polish forces. Tusk said authorities initially recorded 19 airspace violations.
The Russian Defense Ministry denied any intention to strike Polish targets during its overnight attacks on Ukraine, and expressed a willingness to discuss the incident with Polish officials.
It confirmed conducting a massive strike against Ukraine's military-industrial facilities in the Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi and Zhytomyr regions, as well as in Vinnytsia, and Lviv.