Carney Says World Must ‘Increase the Pressure’ on Russia Following Its Incursion Into Poland

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada stands with Poland following an incident where several Russian drones flew into the country and violated NATO airspace, and said the defence alliance must “increase the pressure” on Russia to end the war on Ukraine.

“Russia’s incursion into Polish airspace last night was reckless and escalatory. Canada stands with Poland and our NATO Allies,” Carney said in a Sept. 10 statement.

The prime minister added that Canada is coordinating with NATO and will “remain vigilant” against attempts by Russia to widen its conflict with Ukraine. Carney said Russia’s actions following a week of attacks against Ukraine “underscore the importance” of continued support for Ukraine.

According to the Polish military, Russia sent 19 drones into Poland’s eastern territories in the early morning of Sept. 10, which Poland shot down with the help of NATO allies. Poland subsequently invoked NATO’s Article 4, which allows for issues of concern to be discussed by members of the defence pact.

A spokesperson for NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Col. Martin L. O’Donnell, said in a statement that the incident marked the first time NATO aircraft had engaged “potential threats in Allied airspace.”

Russia’s foreign ministry denied the incident had occurred, saying in a statement that Russia’s strike on Ukraine did not include any targets in Poland, and that the range of their drones was not far enough to reach the areas of eastern Poland. “These facts overturn the myths which Poland is spreading again to aggravate the Ukrainian crisis,” the ministry said.

Carney recently travelled to Poland to discuss developing stronger ties between the two countries, including enhanced cooperation on energy, defence, and trade. Carney and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced a renewed long-term partnership that would “guide and deepen bilateral cooperation in the years ahead,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Defence Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister

In a press conference held early in the day, Defence Minister David McGuinty said the situation was “a serious one.” McGuinty said a number of NATO countries came together to shoot down the Russian drones, “and it was clearly NATO in action.”

“Our commitment to NATO, our commitment to Ukraine, and our commitment to our Polish partners remains steadfast and strong,” McGuinty said.

When asked if he believed Russia had purposefully targeted Poland with drones, McGuinty said NATO is currently working to determine that. The defence minister added that he didn’t think “we can take a lot of what comes from Russia right now at face value,” given that Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly “circumvented” attempts to achieve peace in Ukraine.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said given that Canada is a founding member of NATO, it must support Poland “in the decisions that it makes as a sovereign country.” She said sovereignty is “the key issue on the table,” and Russia has been violating Ukraine’s sovereignty since it launched its war back in February 2022, and just violated Poland’s sovereignty.

On Aug. 18, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders met with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump said following the meeting that several countries would provide Ukraine with security guarantees, and that a trilateral meeting between himself, Zelenskyy, and Russian President Putin could soon be arranged.

However, in the weeks since, there has been no trilateral meeting, as Zelenskyy rejected Putin’s offer for the two leaders to meet in Moscow. Russia has also stepped up its attacks on the country, launching its largest attack since the beginning of the war on Sept. 7, involving 810 drones and 13 missiles.