The heads of the Helsinki Commission, which operates under the US Congress, the request of Poland to stop and neutralize the missiles over Ukraine as a mechanism of support to Ukraine and to secure the front line of NATO's borders is both necessary and urgent. They called on President Joe Biden to allow the downing of Russian missiles that were flying in the direction of our country over Ukraine. Representatives of the Polish authorities claimed that they will do this only in consultation with NATO countries.
The heads of the Helsinki Commission of the US Congress called on President Joe Biden on Wednesday to allow Poland to shoot down Russian missiles flying towards Poland over Ukraine.
“We call on your administration to allow Poland to launch missiles over Ukraine, especially missiles that threaten to violate Polish airspace. Recently, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski made a request to this effect, and we believe that it is necessary to provide this capability, a step in the way of protecting the territory of NATO and providing one of our most important allies”, wrote the chairman of the Helsinki Commission – Republican Congressman Joe Wilson and his deputy, Democrat Steve Cohen.
In this way, they pointed to the demand of the representatives of the Polish government to shoot down the Russian missiles that threaten the Polish airspace over Ukraine. For the first time, the heads of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense spoke about this at the July NATO session in Washington, but they emphasized that Poland is ready to do this only in consultation with its allies. The White House refused to accept this request. However, Sikorsky raised the issue again in a September interview with the Financial Times, claiming that Poland “will be able to shoot down incoming Russian missiles before they enter airspace.”
Radoslav Sikorski PAP/Marsin Obara
This opinion was supported by Wilson and Cohen in a letter to Biden. “The increasing number of attacks in western Ukraine raises serious concerns about further casualties and escalation of tensions in the region. Foreign Minister Sikorski's request is defensive in nature, consistent with NATO's mission to protect the territorial integrity of member states. It allows Poland to “Ukraine will not be an offensive action, but will be a key step in securing NATO's eastern flank, strengthening NATO's deterrence posture and demonstrating our joint determination to defend against Russian aggression,” the congressmen wrote criticized the US's “excessive restraint” in response to Russian provocations, which they said only led Russia to engage in bold actions, including sabotage, “often with a flagrant disregard for NATO's borders.”
“Despite Russia's continued escalation — through hybrid airspace warfare violations, attacks on critical infrastructure, and efforts to destabilize democratic institutions — we have steadfastly refused to confront these threats, allowing Russia to wage war against In this context, Poland's request to stop and neutralize missiles over Ukraine as a support mechanism for Ukraine and to secure the front line of NATO's borders is both necessary and urgent,” said the politicians.
Helsinki Commission – what is it?
The Helsinki Commission (officially the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe) is a congressional body made up of politicians from both houses and the US administration that deals with security, human rights and democracy in Europe and cooperation within the OSCE.
Wilson is one of the oldest Republican congressmen and one of the candidates who, if the Republicans win the election to the House of Representatives, will assume the position of the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
The White House has not yet answered the question of the Polish press agency about this letter.
Main photo source: PAP/Marcin Obara
