WARSAW – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko downplayed Poland’s warnings that it would shoot down foreign fighter jets illegally entering Polish airspace.
“A response (to such actions) will come immediately,” Lukashenko told Russian public media journalist Pavel Zarubin on Sep. 28
“You can say and do all sorts of things publicly. (…) Let’s say I often fly to the Białowieża Forest – it’s right near the Polish border. Will they shoot down the president’s helicopter or a military escort helicopter?” he wondered, referring to the forest, which lies partly in Poland and partly in Belarus.
Lukashenko said NATO member states are frightening their citizens with Russia and Belarus.
“Let them try, let them shoot. Or they’ll shoot something Russian over Kaliningrad. Then, of course, we’ll have to fight. Is that necessary? No,” he added.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned last week that Poland would shoot down any objects that clearly violated the country’s airspace, including Russian fighter jets.
See the original of this report by Aleksandra Krzysztoszek for Euractiv here.