A night that changes the course of events

On the night of 9-10 September, Polish airspace was violated by a shower of Russian drones.

This is not the first time Moscow has recklessly violated European borders, but this time Warsaw responded: F-35 fighter jets, Patriot systems and radar aircraft defended Sarmatian territory, shooting down Russian aircraft and protecting the population.

Polish PM Tusk, in an extraordinary session of the Sejmie, spoke without hesitation: ‘This is an act of aggression’. And he is not wrong. Because when a NATO country, and thus a member of the European Union, is hit, it is not an accident, but a message. Moscow is no longer afraid to push beyond Ukraine’s borders.

Warsaw the anti-Moscow guardian

The nation’s history, geographical precariousness, and centuries-long distrust of Moscow have made post-Soviet Poland the strategic embankment against Russian expansionist ambitions.

It is no coincidence that today, after the downing of the 19 Russian drones, Polish public opinion and politics responded with one voice. Those who have followed the presidential campaign are not surprised: the constant across all political parties is that Russia represents a danger, and Poland must arm itself to defend itself, even on its own.

Polish society, mindful of historical misfortunes, fully embodies the sentiment that is still faint in the rest of Europe: ‘Defence or death’, quoting Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski.

It is no coincidence that it is the first country to have planned to reach the target of 5% of GDP allocated to military spending. And it is no coincidence that it is the leading country in the common European defence project, while maintaining synergy at the highest level with the US armed forces.

Warsaw raises the political and strategic level

Returning to current events, today’s decision to formally invoke Article 4 of the Atlantic Treaty is not merely a symbolic gesture, but a wake-up call sent to the heart of the Alliance. It means that Poland considers its own security directly threatened. Article 4 obliges allies to officially consult when a state perceives a danger to its territorial integrity. In other words, Tusk is forcing the partners to put the issue on the table: one can no longer tolerate constant Russian skirmishes by relegating them to marginal incidents.

Historical background and significance

It is not common to invoke Article 4, which makes the Polish choice even more significant. It happened to Turkey in 2003 and 2012, to the Baltics and Poland in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea, and again in 2022, in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Each time the message has been clear: ignoring Moscow’s signals is tantamount to opening the door to new aggression.

It’s not just Kiev: Europe is at stake

Russia has never hidden its willingness to intimidate its neighbours: in 2007 it targeted Estonia with a cyber attack, in 2019 it hit Lithuania with cyber offensives, in 2023 it sabotaged the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, and in Moldova it tried to destabilise the government. Today it is Poland that is under pressure.

Whose turn will it be tomorrow? To reduce everything to ‘Ukrainian defence’ is to fail to understand what is really at stake: defending Kiev and Warsaw is tantamount to defending Rome, Paris and Berlin. It is not simple solidarity, it is the survival of Europe as a community. It is no coincidence that Macron branded the incursion as “unacceptable”, Meloni expressed “full solidarity with Warsaw” and Brussels reiterated that the security of allies is non-negotiable, while Moscow denied any responsibility, speaking of “unfounded accusations” through diplomat Andrei Ordash.

Reasoning as Europeans to stop the tyrant

Europe possesses an advantage that Moscow seeks to turn into a weakness: the ability to think from different ethnic, cultural and religious perspectives. The challenge is to transform these differences into political strength and strategic unity.

Zelensky clearly warned: ‘Russia has set a dangerous precedent for the whole of Europe. A common response is needed’. Borrell himself issued a warning: ‘If we do not respond today, tomorrow it will be too late’.

The real game is not just about Kiev or Warsaw, but about the future of the European Union as a cohesive political space capable of defending itself against external aggression.

The defence of Europe must be born in Brussels, not Washington.

NATO remains a pillar, but the American weight is increasingly distant from European urgencies. Washington looks to the Pacific, we to the Baltic, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. It is time for a European armed force, capable of flanking the Alliance but also of acting independently. The security of the continent cannot depend on American elections nor remain hostage to the priorities of those who live thousands of kilometres away. The defence of Europe must be born in Brussels.

General Vincenzo Camporini, interviewed by L’Europeista, was very clear on this point:

“Let’s stop talking about a European army: what is needed now is a collective military capability of European countries, coordinated by an efficient chain of command, like NATO. In this way, strategic autonomy does not take years: it can be achieved within a week.”

Strong today so as not to succumb tomorrow

Invoking Article 4 is not a formality: it is a political act that tests Western solidity. To ignore the violation of Polish airspace would be to tacitly accept it. The message Russia would like to send is clear: Europe is vulnerable and fearful. Ours must be even more so: any attack on one member state is an attack on the entire Union.

A political Europe, with a single voice, able to decide and defend itself, is no longer a federalist dream but a vital necessity. The future of the continent is at stake today, not tomorrow. To underestimate the Russian attack in Poland would be to be conniving, to us the pen to write our own destiny.