In a letter obtained exclusively by The Hill, Reps. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), the Helsinki Commission chair and ranking member, respectively, ask Biden “to grant Poland the authority to intercept and neutralize missiles over Ukraine, particularly those threatening to encroach upon Polish airspace.”
The request is based on a push by Poland to use its air defense shields and possibly extend them, which would defend their skies against Russian missiles but also assist Ukraine in its defense.
In November 2022, two Polish farmers were killed when an errant Ukrainian missile fell in Polish territory. In March, Russian missiles attacking Ukraine briefly crossed into Polish airspace.
Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski proposed the scheme in September in an interview with the Financial Times.
And while Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the time said the issue was part of discussions among NATO allies, then-Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg rejected the proposal, saying it risked NATO “becoming part of the conflict.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who assumed his duties in October, has not yet addressed the issue, and NATO did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Closing Ukraine’s skies to Russian missiles is one of the biggest challenges over the course of the full-scale war that began in February 2022.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have criticized the Biden administration, saying it has slow-walked military deliveries to Ukraine in an effort to manage escalation with Russia.
The administration has also banned Ukraine from using U.S.-provided weapons to strike deep into Russian territory over concerns Russian President Vladimir Putin would use it as a pretext to strike NATO allies.
But critics say that cautious approach has only emboldened Putin, who has carried out a campaign of gray-zone attacks against NATO allies, on top of Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
