NATO will have to shoot down Russian missiles over western Ukraine should Russian aggression escalate, - Koziej, former head of Poland’s National Security Bureau
The North Atlantic Alliance may be forced to establish a forward missile defence zone designed to intercept Russian missiles over western Ukraine. Such a scenario would become more likely should Russian aggression intensify further and the number of air incidents increase.
This is reported by Censor.NET, citing an interview with the former head of Poland’s National Security Bureau, Stanisław Koziej.
According to Kozey, he has been proposing for two or three years now that NATO establish a so-called forward missile defence zone.
This primarily concerns the interception of dual-use missiles, in particular those capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
The former head of the Polish National Security Bureau acknowledged that it would be difficult to reach a consensus amongst the Alliance’s member states on such a decision.
At the same time, he suggested that a further escalation of Russian attacks and an increase in the number of airspace violations might force NATO to reconsider its position.
Poland and Ukraine should step up their cooperation in the field of security
Koziej also emphasised the need for closer cooperation between Warsaw and Kyiv, particularly on border security issues.
"We must be as close to one another as possible. We need to set aside political and emotional disputes as quickly as possible and move towards pragmatic cooperation on security matters, particularly border security," he said.
In his view, Poland and Ukraine should exchange information more actively on the movements of Russian drones and missiles, so as to be able to respond to airborne threats in good time.
Kozhey also emphasised the importance of an uninterrupted supply of military aid to Ukraine and called for historical disputes not to be allowed to hinder security cooperation.
Countering Russian disinformation
The former head of Poland’s National Security Bureau cited the fight against Russian disinformation as another area of joint cooperation.
According to him, Russia’s disinformation campaigns remain one of the most challenging issues facing Polish society.
Koziej announced that Poland is beginning to consolidate its efforts to counter such threats, in particular by setting up a special centre to combat disinformation.
He expressed the hope that the centre’s work would help to develop a strategy to protect society from Russian information operations aimed at exacerbating tensions between Poles and Ukrainians.
