Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that Russia may be preparing missile strikes against countries supporting Ukraine, potentially including Britain. He said Western intelligence indicated Moscow could seek to intimidate Ukraine’s allies and test NATO’s willingness to respond, representing a serious escalation beyond previous drone incursions into NATO airspace.

Tusk spoke after Poland closed its airspace, scrambled fighter jets and shut airports during a Russian attack in western Ukraine near the Polish border. He said Russia might disguise future strikes as accidents, while faster jet-powered drones are reducing Western reaction times; former UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has called for allies to consider intercepting threats before they enter NATO airspace. The warnings come as NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte presses Britain to set out annual increases towards its defence-spending target.