France condemns reported violation of Polish airspace during Russian strikes on Ukraine
'This is a matter of our collective security,' French president Macron says
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday condemned a reported violation of Poland's airspace during overnight Russian strikes on Ukraine.
"France strongly condemns the Russian strikes that killed civilians in Ukraine, as well as the violation of Polish airspace," Macron said through US social media company X.
He further voiced continued support for Ukraine and Poland.
"This is a matter of our collective security," Macron added.
European Council President Antonio Costa also reacted to the reported airspace violation, saying Russia's actions threatened the security of Europe as a whole.
"Last night, Russia launched a massive combined strike against Ukraine. During the attack, Polish airspace was also violated, underlining once again that Russia’s aggression is a threat to the security of Europe as a whole," Costa said on X.
He voiced "full solidarity" with the Polish and Ukrainian authorities and recalled that the bloc is stepping up support to strengthen Ukraine's air defense capabilities.
"Europe will continue to stand united in the face of this aggression," Costa added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen further said the airspace violation was "unacceptable" and expressed support for Poland.
"Another unacceptable violation of our EU airspace caused by Russia’s latest strikes on Ukraine, this time over Poland," von der Leyen said on X.
She reaffirmed that they are building a "robust" European security architecture on land, at sea, and in the air.
According to Polish broadcaster TVP World, the eastern Polish city of Lublin and the nearby town of Krasnystaw were awakened by warning sirens early Thursday after the Government Centre for Security activated its alert system due to Russian strikes near the border.
The alarms lasted several minutes as the Operational Command of the Armed Forces deployed fighter jets and an airborne early warning aircraft and placed air defense and radar systems on heightened alert, the broadcaster reported.
The command said one object came within about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) of the Polish border before changing direction, while another briefly entered Polish airspace, prompting the deployment of an F-16 fighter jet to identify it.
