On 14 July, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed opposition to the idea of Poland using its air defense systems to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukrainian territory. In an interview broadcast on a Ukrainian TV marathon, Stoltenberg was asked to comment on the proposal for Poland to intercept missiles heading in its direction while they were still over Ukraine.
Earlier, on 8 July, after signing a security pact with Kyiv, Polish PM Donald Tusk discussed with NATO the potential for downing Russian missiles over Ukraine, pending alliance approval. On 10 July, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that Poland would not target Russian missiles over Ukraine without a NATO consensus. On 13 July, Polish FM Radosław Sikorski revealed that Warsaw was considering Kyiv’s request to intercept missiles headed for Poland while they are still in Ukrainian airspace.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, Stoltenberg responded by stating,
“NATO will support Ukraine, and we are now increasing our support… But NATO’s policy remains unchanged – we will not participate in this conflict. We will not become part of the conflict. So, we support Ukraine in destroying Russian aircraft, but NATO will not be directly involved.”
The Secretary General reaffirmed his position that “Ukraine has the right to attack legitimate military targets on the territory of the aggressor country, Russia.” He noted that “different countries have imposed different restrictions on the use of weapons they transfer to Ukraine.” At the same time, Stoltenberg welcomed the recent US permission for Ukraine to use American missiles to strike Russian territory near the border with Ukraine in Kharkiv Oblast.
When asked to comment on the idea of possible NATO membership for part of Ukraine controlled by the government, and later for the occupied territories, Stoltenberg said,
“We have seen different models, and I will be cautious in making statements about what specific solution can be applied to Ukraine.”
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