Russia's Poland Envoy Ignores Summons Over Missile Incursion

Poland's foreign ministry said Monday that the Russian ambassador in Warsaw failed to show for a diplomatic summons issued after a Russian missile breached Polish airspace over the weekend

Warsaw, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Mar, 2024) Poland's foreign ministry said Monday that the Russian ambassador in Warsaw failed to show for a diplomatic summons issued after a Russian missile breached Polish airspace over the weekend.

The ambassador, Sergey Andreyev, told Russia's RIA Novosti news agency that he felt "it made no sense to discuss this topic without any provision of proof, and I refused to visit the Polish foreign ministry".

Poland said Sunday that a Russian cruise missile fired at towns in western Ukraine breached Polish airspace overnight for 39 seconds.

The missile, which was travelling at almost 800 kilometres per hour (500 mph) around 400 metres (1,300 feet) above the ground, had crossed about two kilometres over the border into Poland, the army said.

Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Poland activated all air defence systems, and the missile would have been shot down "had there been any indication it was heading for a target on Polish territory".

In response, the foreign ministry on Sunday said Russia's envoy would be summoned for "explanations", urging Russia "to end its terrorist airstrikes against the population and territory of Ukraine, to end the war and to focus on the country's own internal problems".

But ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski told reporters that "ambassador... did not appear at the foreign ministry today in order to explain the incident with the Russian cruise missile".

"We are wondering whether the ambassador is carrying out the instructions of the foreign ministry in Moscow and if he is able to properly represent Russia's interests in Warsaw," he said.

"A diplomatic note from the Polish foreign ministry demanding an explanation of the breach of Polish airspace will be transmitted another way to the Russian foreign ministry.

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- 'I refused' -

Andreyev that he chose to ignore the summons he received "this morning".

"When asked about the topic of the conversation, I was told that it was related to yesterday's incident... I asked in response whether the Polish side intended to provide us with any evidence of these allegations," he told RIA Novosti.

"I did not receive a clear answer, and drew attention to the fact that we are still waiting for evidence from the Polish side regarding the fact that an alleged Russian cruise missile flew into Polish airspace on December 29 last year. We have not yet received any evidence of these claims," he said.

He was referring to similar incident when a Russian missile penetrated Polish airspace for several minutes before returning to Ukraine.

"I felt that it made no sense to discuss this topic without any provision of proof, and I refused to visit the Polish foreign ministry," he said.

Warsaw has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022, urging other Western allies to provide Kyiv with ammunition and equipment to fend off the attacks.

Poland is also among neighbours most directly exposed to the conflict: In November 2022, two people were killed when a Ukrainian air-defence missile fell on the Polish village of Przewodow, close to the Ukrainian border.

Before the missile was identified as Ukrainian, the incident prompted alarm that NATO -- of which Poland is a member -- could be dragged into a broader confrontation with Moscow.