Canada reprimands Russian ambassador following incursion into Polish airspace

world-wide Affairs Canada summoned Russia's embassador after Russian drones flew through and through smooth air space earlier this week.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said that Ambassador Oleg Stepanov was summoned Wednesday for an "official reprimand."

"When Russian drones violated Polish airspace, they violated NATO's airspace as well," she said in a statement on social media Friday.

Poland shot down several drones in its airspace with the backing of military aircraft from its NATO allies, the first time a member of the Western military alliance is known to have fired shots during Russia's war in Ukraine. Poland said the drones entered its airspace over a period of several hours, and drone debris was recovered in multiple regions.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared that the country is the "closest we have been to open conflict since World War II."

Tusk told the Polish parliament Wednesday that there had been 19 intrusions into Polish airspace. The government invoked Article 4, under which it can demand consultation with NATO members.

Russia and its close associate Belarus have suggested the incursions may have been a mistake caused by network jamming — but Poland rejects that explanation.

"We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake. But it wasn't. And we know it," Tusk said on social media on Friday.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says it was still a reckless act, regardless of intent.

NATO said Friday it's bulking up its defensive posture on its eastern flank bordering Belarus, Russia and Ukraine with new equipment to deter potential Russian aggression.

The alliance's supreme commander in Europe said a new operation, dubbed Eastern Sentry, will add equipment from France, Denmark, Germany and the U.K. To its existing air and ground-based defences.

"The key to this is an entirely new defence design," U.S. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich told reporters at NATO's Brussels headquarters.

In her statement on Friday, Anand said Canada "welcomes" the boost to defences along the eastern flank.

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The United Nations Security Council also met Friday to discuss the drone incursion into Poland.

Canada also hosted a virtual meeting of G7 finance ministers to discuss further measures to increase the pressure on Russia.

"The G7 is committed to stop Russia's war machine and met today to discuss further enhancing economic measures to cripple Russia's ability to fund its war," a readout from the meeting said.

The ministers discussed possible further sanctions and other economic measures that could be imposed on Russia, according to the readout. But the statement offered few details of what those measures could entail.

The G7 group is made up of Canada, the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, with the European Union as a "non-enumerated member."

Earlier this month, after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to target foreign troops deployed to Ukraine, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada and other allies need to maintain "maximum pressure" on Moscow.

Senior writer

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