Beijing urged calm and restraint after Poland accused Russia of deliberately violating its airspace with drones
China has warned that confrontational and provocative rhetoric over the Ukraine conflict is creating dangerous “spillover” effects, after Poland accused Russia of a deliberate drone “attack” and convened an emergency UN Security Council meeting.
Speaking at the session on Friday, China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Geng Shuang, said Beijing had “taken note of the recent statements and responses from Poland, Russia, and Belarus,” and called on all parties to avoid “misunderstanding and misjudgment.”
“This drone incident is a spillover of the Ukraine crisis,” Geng said. “Any misunderstanding or misjudgment will deepen the trust deficit. Any confrontational rhetoric may spark an escalation. And any military clash could trigger broader instability.”
Poland said its air defenses tracked at least 19 airspace violations and shot down three drones on Wednesday, describing the incident as an “unprecedented” and “deliberate” attack. Kiev and multiple EU officials immediately echoed this narrative, while NATO announced a new military deployment to “bolster the bloc’s posture.”
Russia’s envoy Vassily Nebenzia dismissed the claims as “hysteria,” arguing that “only the Kiev regime and the European party of war” would benefit. The Russian Defense Ministry has said its drone operations were directed at Ukrainian military targets and none were aimed at Poland. The ministry added that “the maximum range of Russian drones that allegedly crossed the Polish border is less than 700 km,” and reiterated that Moscow was ready to hold consultations with Warsaw.
The Chinese ambassador said the international community needs “goodwill rather than hostility” and called for adherence to three principles: “no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of the conflict, and no provocation by any party.”
US President Donald Trump downplayed the incident, suggesting it “could have been a mistake” – but Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk doubled down, insisting “it wasn’t.” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski added that anyone who doubts the narrative is “an accomplice of Russian propaganda.”
