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A group of bipartisan lawmakers have called on President Biden to allow Poland to use its US-supplied air defense systems to take down some Russian missiles that could pose a threat to Polish territory.

What’s the deal: In a letter to President Biden, Congressman Joe Wilson, and Congressman Steve Cohen called for the President  “to grant Poland the authority to intercept and neutralize missiles over Ukraine, particularly those threatening to encroach upon Polish airspace.” They noted that “providing this capability is a necessary step in defending NATO territory and safeguarding one of our most critical allies.”

The letter from the lawmakers follows a previous proposal by Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, who, in September, suggested allowing Poland to expand its air defense to cover parts of Ukrainian airspace as a means to intercept Russian missiles potentially threatening Polish territory. Sikorski stressed that this approach was a preventive measure to shield Poland from the spillover effects of the ongoing war in Ukraine, where missile strikes occasionally approach NATO’s eastern borders.

Despite some support, this proposal faced opposition from then-NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who argued that implementing such a policy could risk drawing NATO into a direct confrontation with Russia.

Digging deeper: Back in 2023, Russian missiles launched toward Ukraine briefly breached Polish airspace, resulting in a strong condemnation from both Poland and NATO. In addition, back in November of 2022, a Ukrainian air defense missile malfunctioned and landed in Poland, killing two civilians.