BERLIN

Germany's top military commander pledged on Friday that his country would defend "every centimeter" of NATO territory, following a Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace that has heightened tensions.

Gen. Carsten Breuer, Germany's highest-ranking military officer, made the remarks while observing the Quadriga 2025 military exercise in Lithuania, underscoring Germany's firm commitment to collective defense on NATO's eastern flank.

"The recent violation of Polish airspace by Russia has again shown how important our engagement is. Our contribution to defending NATO's eastern flank is reliable — we are ready to protect every centimeter of alliance territory," Breuer told the German Press Agency (DPA).

The general highlighted that the current exercises represent the first time Germany has conducted such extensive logistical training to support NATO troops in a potential conflict scenario in Eastern Europe.

Breuer's comments follow Wednesday's incident when Russian drones entered Polish airspace during a large-scale attack on Ukraine. Polish and allied NATO forces shot down some of the Russian drones, marking the first such defensive action of this kind.

Russia’s Defense Ministry denied any intention to strike targets on Polish territory during the attack, which it claimed targeted enterprises of Kyiv’s military-industrial complex in western Ukraine.