French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the deployment of three Rafale fighter jets to Poland in response to recent Russian drone incursions, calling the move a step to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank and protect European security.
“Following the Russian drone incursions into Poland, I have decided to deploy three Rafale fighter jets to help safeguard Polish airspace and NATO’s eastern flank together with our allies,” Macron said in a post on X on Thursday.
He added that he had informed Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk of the decision on Wednesday and also discussed it with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who Macron noted was “likewise engaged in the defence of the Eastern Flank.”
Macron stressed that defending Europe against Russian aggression remains central to both French and NATO strategy. “The security of the European continent is our top priority. We will not yield to Russia’s growing intimidation,” he said.
The announcement came after Poland’s military reported that Russian drones had crossed into its airspace during strikes on Ukraine earlier this week. In response, Warsaw invoked NATO’s Article 4, allowing consultations among allies over threats to member states’ security.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said the number of drones involved indicated the act was deliberate. The interior ministry confirmed that 16 drones were detected, with debris scattered across multiple areas.
Addressing parliament, Prime Minister Tusk said that while Poland was not at war, the situation posed the gravest threat since World War II. “Poland is not in a state of war, but the country is closer to conflict than at any time since World War II,” he said.
The deployment is among France’s most direct contributions to NATO air defence in Eastern Europe since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
