Today at a press conference NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Alexus G. Grynkewich, held a joint press briefing to outline NATO's response to the violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones. Rutte announced the launch of "Eastern Sentry", a military activity aimed at strengthening NATO's posture along the eastern flank of Europe. The military activity will begin in the coming days thanks to the cooperation of many allies, such as Denmark, France, the United Kingdom and Germany, who will work primarily to address the drone threat. NATO representatives spoke today following the recent violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones and the ongoing joint Russia-Belarus exercise, "Zapad 2025". A biennial military manoeuvre, but this year it started at a moment of particular tension that led Poland to deploy 40,000 soldiers along the borders with both countries.

According to Rutte and Grynkewich, NATO's response to the Russian provocation in Poland was "a success". The Alliance's activities will continue along the same lines to defend "every inch of its territory" through "technologies and tactics" suited to face "the new challenges", with a focus on "security and protection". Flexibility of approach is a central concept, repeated several times during the briefing. Grynkewich stated firmly his intent to ensure that with NATO "we are able to defend ourselves not only today but also tomorrow". This is regardless of the cost of operations, a point raised during a question in the press meeting: as explained by the two NATO leaders, however, the incursion that occurred between Tuesday and Wednesday was more serious than previous ones and therefore required more resources for success. "We are cooperating with Allied Command Transformation and Admiral Vandier to secure low-cost weapons that we can use to defend ourselves, to make this an operation sustainable over time", Grynkewich said.

Rutte then explained that there is unity between the United States and the Alliance: "America's commitments to NATO are steadfast in every respect, there is no doubt". The relationship with the European Union is also important: according to Grynkewich, the anti-drone wall referred to by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the State of the Union address (see AVIONEWS) "is perfectly in line with some of our ideas to fortify our eastern flank from a land and air perspective." "I have just returned from the Baltic countries", the general added, "where many states are investing in technologies, learning from Ukraine which types of sensors and which types of weapons, kinetic and non-kinetic, might be effective. Integrating this kind of defence into our daily deterrence activities and into our regional plans will certainly be something we will want to do in the future".