Bipartisan House members push Biden to allow Poland to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine

The bipartisan leaders of the U.S. Helsinki Commission are calling on President Biden to greenlight NATO ally Poland to extend its air defense to Ukraine’s skies, helping shoot down Russian missiles under the guise of self-defense, in a letter obtained exclusively by The Hill. 

Reps. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), the chair and ranking member, respectively, sent a letter asking Biden “to grant Poland the authority to intercept and neutralize missiles over Ukraine, particularly those threatening to encroach upon Polish airspace.”

The request is based on a push by Poland to use its air defense shields and possibly extend them, which would defend their skies against Russian missiles but also assist Ukraine in its defense.

In November 2022, two Polish farmers were killed when an errant Ukrainian missile fell in Polish territory. In March, Russian missiles attacking Ukraine briefly crossed into Polish airspace. 

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski proposed the scheme in September in an interview with the Financial Times. 

And while Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the time said the issue was part of discussions among NATO allies, then-Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg rejected the proposal, saying it risked NATO “becoming part of the conflict.” 

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who assumed his duties in October, has not yet addressed the issue, and NATO did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Closing Ukraine’s skies to Russian missiles is one of the biggest challenges over the course of the full-scale war that began in February 2022. 

While the U.S. and partners have sent air defense battery systems to Ukraine, increased attacks against the country, in particular its western regions that border NATO states, stretch resources thin and contribute to instability and insecurity in the country. 

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have criticized the Biden administration, saying it has slow-walked military deliveries to Ukraine in an effort to manage escalation with Russia.  The administration has also banned Ukraine from using U.S.-provided weapons to strike deep into Russian territory over concerns Putin would use it as a pretext to strike NATO allies. 

But critics say that cautious approach has only emboldened Putin, who has carried out a campaign of gray-zone attacks against NATO allies, on top of Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine. 

“Despite Russia’s continued escalation through hybrid warfare — airspace violations, attacks on critical infrastructure, and efforts to destabilize democratic institutions — we have hesitated to confront these threats decisively, allowing Russia to wage a war against the alliance with minimal consequences,” Wilson and Cohen write.

“In this context, Poland’s request to intercept and neutralize missiles over Ukraine is both necessary and urgent as a support mechanism for Ukraine and a safeguard to the frontline of NATO’s borders.”