Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that Spain will contribute air assets to NATO’s new security operation in Eastern Europe, known as Operation Eastern Sentinel.
“These assets will join those already present in Latvia, Lithuania, and other countries, remaining available for as long as necessary. Putin will not intimidate us,” Sánchez stated on social media platform X.
Several NATO countries are planning to deploy troops and fighter jets to the east following Wednesday’s incident, in which more than a dozen drones entered Polish airspace.
Denmark, France, and Germany have already joined the mission to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank, while other allies are expected to participate later.
Tensions across Europe have increased after Poland accused Russia of an unprecedented airspace violation. Of the 19 drones that entered Polish territory, some were shot down, while others landed in fields and even a house in eastern Poland.
Warsaw described the incident as intentional, whereas Moscow downplayed it, claiming it had no plans to target Polish sites.
Although drones and missiles have occasionally strayed into countries bordering Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion, this incident represents the most serious breach of its kind since the war began in February 2022.
