Poland ready to shoot down objects violating its airspace, PM says, but signals caution when violations are not clearcut
Meanwhile, Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk warned that Poland would not hesitate and shoot down any objects that “violate our territory and fly over Poland.”
But he cautioned that it would take a more cautious approach to situations that are not clearcut, Reuters reported.
“We will take the decision to shoot down flying objects when they violate our territory and fly over Poland – there is absolutely no discussion about that,” Tusk told a news conference.
“When we’re dealing with situations that aren’t entirely clear, such as the recent flight of Russian fighter jets over the Petrobaltic platform – but without any violation, because these aren’t our territorial waters – you really need to think twice before deciding on actions that could trigger a very acute phase of conflict,” he added.
Tusk said that he would also need to be certain that Poland would not be alone if a conflict started to escalate, Reuters stressed.
“I also need to be absolutely certain… that all allies will treat this in exactly the same way as we do,” he said.
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German chancellor Merz’s absence at UN general assembly on Palestine prompts questions
Kate Connolly
in Berlin
The absence of Friedrich Merz this week from the UN general assembly at which recognising Palestine as a state is the central focus might not be headline news but both in Germany and beyond it is very much being commented on.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks at a recent press conference in Madrid, Spain. Photograph: Susana Vera/Reuters
Around 150 states have already agreed to recognise the state, with several more expected to sign up this week. Germany, it is clear, will not be among them.
The decision of Germany’s fledgling leader to stay away from the New York gathering is being seen as inextricably entwined in the business at hand, even as Merz and his government advisers are insisting it has far more to do with pressing budgetary deals he needs to preside over in Berlin.
Instead, Merz has sent his foreign minister Joe Wadephul even as he will have to interrupt his visit to fly back to Berlin for Wednesday’s budgetary vote in the Bundestag (which incidentally also includes Germany’s 576 million fee for UN membership) before heading back to NYC where he is due to speak to the UNGA on Saturday (by which time many state leaders will already have departed and there will probably be much less media interest.)
Word on the ground in Berlin is, that had he wanted to, Merz could have been flown to NYC today and back in time for Wednesday’s vote, even at short notice. Even the UN could still have found a respectable speaking slot for him, according to insiders.
While Britain, Canada and Australia have announced they are preparing to recognise Palestine as a state, Germany (and Italy) say that they believe recognition to be wrong at this point in time.
Europe’s division on this is not seen to be at all helpful in terms of trying to negotiate a long-term peace agreement.
Shortly before boarding his plane on Monday morning, Wadephul said Germany did not rule out recognising a state, but said: “For Germany the recognition of a Palestinian state is more likely at the end of the process,” adding: “such a process must begin now.”
At the same time he stressed Germany’s demands for a negotiated two-state solution, “even if this is far from reach right now.”
ShareThousands protest in solidarity with Gaza on second day of Italian strikes
Elsewhere, cities across Italy saw pro-Palestinian protests, strikes and blockades today, responding to calls from unions to “denounce the genocide in Gaza” and for diplomatic and economic sanctions against Israel, AFP reported.
More than 20,000 people gathered in front of Rome’s central station to protest against the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, AP reported.
There were also protests in northern cities Milan and Turin, the central city Florence and southern cities Naples, Bari and Palermo.
The second student rally joins the rest of the pro-Palestinian protesters in Genoa, Italy. Photograph: Emanuela Zampa/Getty ImagesPeople take part in a demonstration part of a nationwide protest and general strike against the killings in Gaza, in Rome. Photograph: Alessandra Tarantino/AP
Dockworkers in Genoa and Livorno in the centre-north blocked the ports, according to Italian news agencies.
ShareDisruption of European airports confirmed as ransomware attack, ENISA says
The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, or ENISA, just said that the cyberattack that disrupted several European airports (11:45) has now been confirmed to be a ransomware attack.
SharePoland ready to shoot down objects violating its airspace, PM says, but signals caution when violations are not clearcut
Meanwhile, Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk warned that Poland would not hesitate and shoot down any objects that “violate our territory and fly over Poland.”
But he cautioned that it would take a more cautious approach to situations that are not clearcut, Reuters reported.
“We will take the decision to shoot down flying objects when they violate our territory and fly over Poland – there is absolutely no discussion about that,” Tusk told a news conference.
“When we’re dealing with situations that aren’t entirely clear, such as the recent flight of Russian fighter jets over the Petrobaltic platform – but without any violation, because these aren’t our territorial waters – you really need to think twice before deciding on actions that could trigger a very acute phase of conflict,” he added.
Tusk said that he would also need to be certain that Poland would not be alone if a conflict started to escalate, Reuters stressed.
“I also need to be absolutely certain… that all allies will treat this in exactly the same way as we do,” he said.
Share‘Irrefutable evidence’ of Russian violation of Estonian airspace, diplomat says
Estonia’s senior diplomat Jonatan Vseviov, quoted earlier (10:38), also commented on Russian claims that its jets had not violated Estonian airspace in his interview this morning.
In comments reported by Estonian public broadcaster ERR, he said:
“We have irrefutable evidence of this, and not just us, but all of our allies. This evidence exists. The fact that Russia is provocatively and dangerously violating the airspace of a Nato country is one thing. The fact that it is openly lying to the whole world about it is another.”
ShareKremlin denies violating Nato airspace, accuses Estonia of ‘escalating tensions’
Meanwhile, the Kremlin accused Estonia of falsely claiming that its military jets had violated its airspace on Friday, alleging without any evidence that it was trying to raise tensions.
Asked about that assertion, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had not heard Estonia say it had evidence to back up its accusution.
“We consider such statements empty, unfounded, and a continuation of the country’s utterly unstoppable policy of escalating tensions and provoking a confrontational atmosphere,” Peskov told reporters, as quoted by AFP.
Russian pilots always operated in accordance with international law, he claimed in comments reported by Reuters.
ShareFlight delays continue across Europe after weekend cyber-attack
Lauren Almeida
Elsewhere, passengers are facing another day of flight delays across Europe, as big airports continue to grapple with the aftermath of a cyber-attack on the company behind the software used for check-in and boarding.
Passengers are seen in front of the check-in counters in Terminal 1 at Berlin Brandenburg Airport in Schönefeld, Germany. Photograph: Michael Ukas/AP
Several of the largest airports in Europe, including London Heathrow, have been trying to restore normal operations over the past few days after an attack on Friday disrupted automatic check-in and boarding software.
The problem stemmed from Collins Aerospace, a software provider that works with several airlines across the world.
The company, which is a subsidiary of the US aerospace and defence company RTX, said on Monday that it was working with four affected airports and airline customers, and was in the final stages of completing the updates needed to restore full functionality.
Airports in Brussels, Dublin and Berlin have also experienced delays. While kiosks and bag-drop machines have been offline, airline staff have instead relied on manual processing.
ShareNato ambassadors to meet for talks on Russian jets in Estonia on Tuesday
Separately, Nato ambassadors will meet to discuss the violation of Estonian airspace on Tuesday, AFP reported.
The meeting, convened after Estonia triggered the Article 4 procedure for emergency discussions, will give ambassadors a chance to discuss the alliance’s response to the incident.
ShareRussian provocation in Estonia ‘part of pattern of unacceptable behaviour,’ Estonian diplomat says
Senior Estonian diplomat Jonatan Vseviov warned that last week’s Russian incursion was “part of a pattern of unacceptable behaviour, not an isolated event.”
“Recent weeks have seen repeated air and drone incidents in the region, all happening on the background of Russia’s illegal war of aggression in Ukraine.”
Vseviov, Estonia’s former ambassador to the US, also urged Europe to respond strongly, saying that “the fact of the incursion shows our previous messaging has not been clear or credible enough to change the reckless behaviour we face.”
“Our purpose is defensive clarity. If lines are blurred, they must be redrawn – decisively and together. That’s what we’ll aim to do in the coming days.”
On Monday, he went further telling Estonian media that it was necessary to make the consequences of the incident “sufficiently unpleasant consequences for Russia, so that it doesn’t come to this airspace next time.”
ShareMorning opening: Growing concerns about Russian provocations in eastern Europe
Jakub Krupa
The UN security council will meet today to discuss the widely condemend Russian fighter jets incursion into Estonian airspace on Friday.
This image released by the Swedish air force shows a Russian MIG-31 fighter jet flying above the Baltic sea after violating Estonian airspace. Photograph: FORSVARSMAKTEN/AFP/Getty Images
It will be the second time in 10 days that it meets to discuss Russia’s increasingly aggressive posture in the region, after Poland called the first meeting over Russian drones in its airspace.
“The issue is that Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council, has very blatantly violated the principle of territorial integrity, is behaving aggressively in the same way more broadly, and this is not a one-time incident,” Estonia’s foreign minister Margus Tsahkna told Postimees.
But over the weekend, another Russian aircraft was detected flying over the Baltic Sea without a flight plan, prompting a reaction from Nato allies, Germany and Sweden.
The incidents raised further questions about Russia’s plans for the region.
Posting on Facebook, Latvia’s president, Edgars Rinkėvičs, said there was a risk of “serious conflict” if Russia continued in the coming weeks to provoke Nato. European governments did not want a wider war but had no choice but to respond, he said.
Rinkėvičs added: “Russia is doing just enough to make it seem like it is not going too far. But, knowing both the logic of thinking in Russia and the frequent incompetence at various levels, this [a conflict] could happen. The responsibility will lie with the Kremlin.”
The Czech president, Petr Pavel, called on Nato to respond decisively to Russian aggression and to stay united. “Unfortunately, this is balancing on the brink of conflict, but giving in to evil is simply impossible,” he said.
Over the weekend, US president Donald Trump told reporters he “didn’t like” what happened in Estonia, but did not elaborate on the latest intelligence he received about the incident.
But asked by a Lithuanian reporter, he confirmed he “would” help defend the Baltics and Poland if they were attacked by Russia.
Let’s see what we hear at the UNSC meeting today.
Separately, a number of European countries moved to recognise the Palestinian state over the weekend, with the UK leading the pack, but also other countries, like Portugal, making the call. It’s France’s turn today, with Emmanuel Macron expected to make the announcement in late afternoon.
A handout photo by Number 10 Downing Street of British prime minister Keir Starmer recording a video message on the recognition of Palestine by the UK Government. Photograph: Lauren Hurley Handout/EPA
It will be a busy day, but I will bring you all the key updates here.
It’s Monday, 22 September 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Updated at 04.16 EDT