European leaders rally around Poland as Kremlin passes buck to Russia’s Defence Ministry

European leaders have unanimously condemned Russia’s overnight breach of NATO airspace over Poland, as Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned the Polish parliament on Wednesday that the country was closer to military conflict with Russia than it had been at any point since World War II.

Making some last-minute amendments to her State of the Union address on Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the violation of Polish airspace as “reckless and unprecedented” and called for more military aid to be given to Ukraine, as well as greater pressure to be exerted on Putin through sanctions.

“We are now working on the 19th package in coordination with partners. We are particularly looking at phasing out Russian fossil fuels faster, the shadow fleet and third countries,” von der Leyen said.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident “barbaric” and “deeply concerning” and said that the move was further evidence of Putin’s “blatant disregard for peace”, while French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack “in the strongest terms”, calling it “simply unacceptable” and a “reckless escalation”.

Even Viktor Orbán, the normally Russia-friendly prime minister of Hungary, signalled his solidarity with Poland, writing on X that the violation of Poland’s territorial integrity had been “unacceptable”. He went on to frame the incident as a vindication of Budapest’s “policy of calling for peace in the Russia-Ukraine war”, however, and pledged his support for US President Donald Trump’s efforts “aimed at achieving peace”.

“The incident proves that our policy of calling for peace in the Russia-Ukraine war is reasonable and rational. Living in the shadow of a war is fraught with risks and dangers,” Orbán wrote.

When asked about the incident, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Wednesday afternoon, and referred reporters to the Russian Defence Ministry instead, saying that no attempts had been made by the Polish government to contact the Kremlin, Russian news agency TASS reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the use of “combat aircraft from several European countries simultaneously to shoot down Russian weapons” as “highly significant”, noting that Kyiv had long proposed the creation of a joint air defence system to protect Europe from Russian drone and missile strikes.

“Europeans are always stronger. Russia must feel that the response to this escalatory step, and even more so to an attempt to humiliate one of Europe’s key countries, will be clear and strong from all partners,” Zelensky added.