Poland says has 'duty' to down stray Russian missiles

(ANSA-AFP) - WARSAW, SEP 2 - Warsaw has a "constitutional duty" to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine that are on course to hit Polish territory, Poland's foreign minister told the Financial Times in an interview published Monday. The Polish top diplomat's remarks come a week after the NATO country's airspace was breached by what the army said was likely a drone after Russia pummelled neighbouring Ukraine with deadly strikes.
    Despite a week-long ground search, the suspected drone has not been found. During a new wave of Russian aerial attacks on Monday, Poland scrambled its fighter jets to the Ukrainian border to protect its airspace. "Membership in NATO does not trump each country's responsibility for the protection of its own airspace - it's our own constitutional duty," Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told FT in an interview. "I'm personally of the view that, when hostile missiles are on course of entering our airspace, it would be legitimate self-defence (to strike them) because once they do cross into our airspace, the risk of debris injuring someone is significant," he added.
    Following Sikorski's comments, a NATO official said that the alliance "has a responsibility to prevent Russia's war from escalating further," adding that "NATO is not a party to the conflict and NATO will not become a party to the conflict".
    (ANSA-AFP).