EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Russian drones had violated Polish airspace on Wednesday (10 September) calling the attack "reckless".
"Europe stands in full solidarity with Poland," Von der Leyen told members of the European Parliament.
She condemned Russia's actions. "We have all seen what Russia means by diplomacy. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin refuses to meet (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy. Last week, Russia launched the largest number of drones and ballistic missiles in a single attack. Yesterday, there was a missile attack on a village in Donetsk, targeting people waiting to pick up their pensions. More than 20 were killed," she said.
"And just today, we have seen a reckless and unprecedented violation of Poland and Europe's airspace by more than 10 Russian Shahed drones," von der Leyen added.
She said that the EU was now working on a 19th sanctions package, looking at ways to phase out Russian fossil fuels faster.
Poland's airspace was violated by a number of Russian drones, and those that posed a direct threat were shot down, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
The move marks the first time a member of the NATO alliance has fired shots in the war.
“This is the first time Russian drones have been shot down over the territory of a NATO country. Therefore, all our allies are taking the situation very seriously. We have not recorded any casualties,” Tusk said.
“Of course, the search for debris from the downed drones is ongoing," Tusk added.
"We are slowly reopening airports. The closure of airports was not caused by a threat or an attack on airports, but was necessitated by the operational needs of our pilots."
He has also declared that Poland is fully prepared to respond to any attacks or provocations following the incident in which Polish forces shot down Russian drones that had entered the country’s airspace.
"We are ready to repel such provocations and attacks; we are well prepared, and the situation is serious. Today, no one can doubt that we must prepare for various scenarios.”
President Zelenskyy reported that at least eight Russian drones targeted Poland during a massive Russian overnight assault on Ukraine, highlighting the use of Iranian-made Shahed drones by Russia.
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German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius condemned the recent violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones as an unacceptable, targeted provocation against NATO.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised her country's "excellent" relationship with India during a phone call on Wednesday with her counterpart Narendra Modi, without referring to U.S. calls for the EU to impose tariffs of up to 100% on Indian imports.
Kazakhstan and Pakistan have pledged to expand bilateral collaboration between the two countries by signing a mutual agreement hoping to bolster total trade volume to $1 billion.
Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday that its drones had carried out a major attack on military facilities in western Ukraine but that it had not planned to hit any targets in Poland.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius condemned the recent violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones as an unacceptable, targeted provocation against NATO.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised her country's "excellent" relationship with India during a phone call on Wednesday with her counterpart Narendra Modi, without referring to U.S. calls for the EU to impose tariffs of up to 100% on Indian imports.
Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday that its drones had carried out a major attack on military facilities in western Ukraine but that it had not planned to hit any targets in Poland.
On Wednesday, Poland shot down drones in its airspace, aided by military aircraft from NATO allies. This marked the first instance of a NATO member firing shots during Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Sebastien Lecornu, chosen by President Emmanuel Macron to be France's fifth prime minister in just two years, took office on Wednesday amid widespread anti-government protests that highlighted the country's deepening political crisis.
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