France sends jets to Poland in signal to Russia not to escalate situation

France said it is deploying fighter jets to Poland as Europe’s first, measured steps to Russia’s drone incursion aimed to send a signal to Moscow that any further aggression will not go unchecked.

French president Emmanuel Macron said he would deploy three advanced Rafale fighter jets to help protect Poland’s airspace and Nato’s eastern flank to fulfil a commitment he made to Polish prime minister Donald Tusk.

He said the deployment was discussed with both Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

“The security of the European continent is our top priority. We will not yield to Russia’s growing intimidation,” Mr Macron posted on X.

Meanwhile, the UK’s new sanctions include bans on 70 vessels that the Britain says is part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” that transports Russian oil in defiance of sanctions already in place.

Some 30 individuals and companies — including Chinese and Turkey-based firms — have also been sanctioned for their part in supplying Russia with electronics, chemicals, explosives and other weapons components.

The new sanctions came as Secretary Yvette Cooper made her first trip to Kyiv after her appointment a week ago following Sir Keir’s Cabinet shake-up.

Ms Cooper said her visit is a demonstration of solidarity with Ukraine which faces a tenfold missile and drone Russian assault from a year ago.

“The UK will not stand idly by as Putin continues his barbaric invasion of Ukraine,” Ms Cooper said, noting what she said was the Russian president’s “complete disregard for sovereignty” by sending drones in to Nato airspace.

“International action to increase economic pressure on Russia and to cut off critical cash flows which he desperately needs to pay for this illegal war is vital.”

Poland’s foreign minister Radek Sikorski was also visiting Kyiv on Friday.

His Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha posted on X that the two officials would discuss “shared security, Ukraine’s EU and Nato accession, and pressure on Moscow”.

Meanwhile, Poland’s defence ministry said it will work with Ukraine to train personnel on anti-drone defence.

Wednesday’s multiple Russian drone strike on Polish soil rattled Europe’s leaders who saw it as a deliberate provocation and forced them to confront long-standing fears that Russia’s three-year war on Ukraine could precipitate a wider conflict.

It also compelled Nato allies to take a closer look at the means at their disposal to counter any further threats.

US-led efforts to steer Moscow and Kyiv toward a peace settlement have so far failed to get traction.

Meanwhile, Mr Tusk dismissed US president Donald Trump’s suggestion that the drone incursion into Poland may have been “a mistake”.

“We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake,” Mr Tusk wrote on X. “But it wasn’t. And we know it.”