Jaishankar, Polish FM hold talks on regional security, Ukraine conflict

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday spoke to Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and conveyed India's concern over recent developments affecting Poland's security.

During the conversation, Jaishankar also reiterated India's position on the Ukraine conflict, saying that India continues to support "an early end to hostilities" and a "durable solution" to the crisis.

Taking to X, Jaishankar wrote, "Spoke to Foreign Minister @sikorskiradek of Poland today. He shared his concern about recent developments pertaining to Poland's security. I underlined that India favors an early end to hostilities and a durable solution for the Ukraine conflict."

The call came a day after Poland's military confirmed that it had shot down drones which crossed into its airspace during a Russian strike on Ukraine, according to CNN. This marked the first time Poland has taken such action, raising fears of a wider escalation for Europe and Nato.

Radoslaw Sikorski, who also serves as Poland's Deputy Prime Minister, said the scale of the incident showed it was intentional. Stating that the number of drones that entered Polish airspace makes it a deliberate act by Russia, CNN reported.

Poland's Minister of Interior later said that 16 drones had been detected across the country, with debris scattered over a wide area, as per CNN.

Addressing the Polish parliament, Prime Minister Donald Tusk cautioned that while Poland was not at war, the situation was more dangerous than at any time since World War II.

"There was no reason to say that Poland was in a state of war, but it was closer to a conflict than any time since World War II," he said. The Prime Minister added that Poland was facing an "enemy that does not hide its hostile intentions."

Tusk also announced that Poland had invoked Article 4 of the Nato treaty, which allows the alliance to convene and discuss threats to the security of member states, as per CNN.

On Thursday, Poland's Armed Forces imposed restrictions on air traffic in the eastern region of the country, with the order in place until December 9.

Russia's defence ministry confirmed that it had carried out strikes against Ukraine overnight into Wednesday but denied any link to Poland.

It said that "no targets on the territory of Poland were planned for destruction," stressing that the drones used in the attack on Ukraine had a maximum range of 700 kilometres (435 miles), CNN reported.