Several Russian drones that entered NATO airspace over eastern Poland have triggered significant reactions from German political figures. Foreign policy experts from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) parties, in an assessment published by “Bild” characterized the incident as an “escalation” and spoke of an “attack.
Stephan Mayer (CSU), a foreign policy expert, told the newspaper, “The attack on Poland is highly alarming. It demonstrates that Putin does not want peace, let alone in Ukraine”. He continued, stating that the drone incident confirms Putin’s focus extends beyond Ukraine and that he now poses an acute danger to NATO. “This new escalation of the conflict and the associated airstrike on Poland must now be taken very seriously by NATO.
Peter Beyer (CDU), another foreign policy representative, echoed the sentiment, saying, “Kremlin leader Putin is igniting the next escalation level: the provocations and violations of airspace had almost become commonplace. Now he’s testing NATO in a concrete way: from provocations to aggressions. Anyone who still believes that Russia’s war against its neighbors is far away must wake up now”. Beyer emphasized the need for calm and restraint while advocating for the utilization of established coordination and reaction mechanisms. “I personally expect a further strengthening of the EU and NATO. Because the war leader in the Kremlin only understands the language of strength from unity.
Defence expert Carlo Masala, from the Bundeswehr University Munich, offered a comparatively less alarmed response. “Drones have occasionally flown over Polish airspace for some time” he told “Bild”. However, he acknowledged the unprecedented scale and depth of this particular incident. “Russia has been testing Poland for a long time. The fact that Poland is now reacting surprises me”.