French President Emmanuel Macron said France will send three Rafale fighter jets to help protect Polish airspace after Warsaw accused Russia of launching a drone raid. This comes as the UN security council gears up for an emergency meeting on Friday.

President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France would deploy three fighter jets to “help protect Polish airspace” after Warsaw accused Russia of launching a drone raid on its territory.

“Following Russian drone incursions into Poland, I have decided to deploy three Rafale fighter jets to help protect Polish airspace and Europe’s eastern flank alongside our NATO allies,” Macron said on social media platform X.

“I made this commitment yesterday to the Polish prime minister,” Macron said. “I also discussed this matter with the NATO secretary general and the British prime minister, who is also involved in protecting the eastern flank.

“We will not give in to Russia’s increasing intimidation,” added Macron, who has been leading diplomatic efforts internationally to end Russia’s war on Ukraine.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Friday said that Russia’s firing of drones over Poland was “absolutely unacceptable”, adding that the Russian ambassador would be summoned over the incident.

“We will tell him that we will not be intimidated… Whether intentional or not, whether accidental or not, this is very serious, this is absolutely unacceptable,” Barrot told France Inter radio.

Poland calls NATO talks after downing Russian drones in airspace breach

‘Unprecedented attack’

On Wednesday, Poland gathered its NATO allies for urgent talks after it said Russian drones flew into Polish airspace during an attack on Ukraine.

Poland’s airspace was violated 19 times, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, and at least three drones were shot down after Warsaw and its allies scrambled jets.

The drone intrusion took place three and a half years into Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine, with Poland branding the incident an “unprecedented” attack on the country, NATO and the European Union.

Moscow denied targeting the country and said there was no evidence the drones were Russian.

US President Donald Trump, who has been trying unsuccessfully to broker a halt to the war in Ukraine, told reporters on Thursday that the alleged incursion may have happened by “mistake”.

Preparation

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier Thursday discussed the drone incident with Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, his office said.

“In both calls, the leaders condemned the shocking Russian violation of NATO and Poland’s airspace,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.

“Discussing how the UK and France could bolster Poland’s defences, the prime minister said the UK stood ready to support any further NATO deployments to the region.”

NATO countries raise spending as Germany expands weapons output

Germany said it would “extend and expand” its participation in NATO’s Air Policing programme, to provide more cover to Polish airspace.

Its defence ministry said it would double the number of Eurofighter jets deployed to four and extend their mission by three months to the end of the year.

The UN Security Council is set to discuss the drone raid in an emergency meeting on Friday, after Slovenia, Denmark, Greece, France and Britain asked the 15-member body to meet over the incident.

(with newswires)