President: I have decided to convene a meeting of the National Security Council
President Karol Nawrocki has decided to convene a meeting of the National Security Council in the aftermath of the violation of Poland’s airspace.
President Karol Nawrocki has decided to convene a meeting of the National Security Council in the aftermath of the violation of Poland’s airspace.
Convening the session of the National Security Council to take place within the next 48 hours, Karol Nawrocki wants the representatives of the Polish authorities „to be in possession of information in order to be able to react appropriately to the situation”.
All political parties, the presidents of parliamentary clubs, and the most important people in the state will discuss not only what had happened, but also what should be done in future to prevent such situations from arising again, he stressed.
The President of the Republic of Poland said that he was informed of the violation of Polish airspace by drones at 3 a.m. this morning. He confirmed, that he was in constant contact with Sławomir Cenckiewicz, the Head of the National Security Bureau (BBN), the Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak–Kamysz, the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces General Wiesław Kukuła and the Operational Commander of the Armed Forces General Maciej Klisz.
– Having analyzed the whole situation over the phone, I decided to visit the Centre of the Operational Command of the Armed Forces, where General Klisz presented me with the situation regarding the massive drone attack. At the Operational Command I also met with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, said Karol Nawrocki.
At that time, the President of the Republic of Poland decided to convene a special meeting at the National Security Council at 6.30 am. – During this meeting, we discussed the possibility of triggering off Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty. The discussion also concerned the necessity of strengthening Poland's anti–drone defenses in the context of its cooperation with NATO, said Karol Nawrocki.
In the meeting the President was accompanied by: Head of the BBN Sławomir Cenckiewicz, Deputy Head of the BBN General Mirosław Bryś, Head of the President's Cabinet Paweł Szefernaker, President's Spokesman Rafał Leśkiewicz, Director of the Department of Armed Forces Authority of the BBN Major General Adam Rzeczkowski and Brigadier General Jarosław Chojnacki.
The briefing was also attended by government representatives: Deputy Ministers of National Defence Cezary Tomczyk and Paweł Zalewski, as well as Minister Coordinator of Special Services Tomasz Siemoniak and Government Spokesman Adam Szłapka.
During the meeting, the President also received a report from General Wiesław Kukuła. President Karol Nawrocki remains in contact with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and our allies.
This is an unprecedented moment in the history of the North Atlantic Alliance, but also in the recent history of Poland. This drone attack is indeed exceptional, so we have to draw the full consequences of what happened, the Polish President judged.
President Karol Nawrocki addressed words of appreciation and thanks to the soldiers of the Polish Army and allied forces for their service.
As the Commander–in–Chief of the Armed Forces, I wish to wholeheartedly thank all Polish soldiers involved, above all Polish pilots. I would like to thank our allies. Indeed, the mechanisms in place have worked, he concluded.