Overview

• Polish and allied air forces intercepted several of at least 19 Russian-origin drones that crossed into Poland during recent attacks on Ukraine, officials said.
• Berlin and Paris pledged to reinforce air defenses along Poland’s eastern border, and NATO announced stronger posture on the alliance’s eastern flank.
• CDU foreign policy figure Norbert Röttgen called for a drone-defense “wall” spanning the entire NATO eastern frontier and said it will be built.
• Röttgen cited intelligence assessments that Russia could be capable of a large-scale European war by around 2029 and argued Europe is in a “race against time.”
• Defense executive Susanne Wiegand warned the incursions were intentional and exposed gaps in NATO’s drone defenses, while SPD’s Ralf Stegner insisted decisions rest with parliament.