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More NATO countries will move troops and fighter jets eastward after more than a dozen drones entered Polish airspace on Wednesday.
Denmark, France and Germany have joined a new mission to strengthen the eastern wing of the military alliance. Other NATO allies are expected to join later.
Tensions have been high across Europe since Poland accused Russia of an unprecedented incursion. Some of the 19 drones that entered Polish territory were shot down, while others fell in fields and even a house in eastern Poland.
Warsaw said the incursion was deliberate, but Moscow downplayed the incident, saying it had no "plans to attack" facilities in Poland.
Drones and missiles have occasionally strayed into countries bordering Ukraine, including Poland, during Russia's full-scale invasion, but this was the most serious incident of its kind since the war began in February 2022.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said this was "the closest we have been to open conflict since World War II."
Denmark will contribute two F-16 fighter jets to support Poland's air defense, as well as a warship, its defense ministry said.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that "we should not be naive. Putin will stop at nothing and is testing us. Therefore, it is essential. Denmark is contributing to this."
France has already said it will contribute three Rafale fighter jets, and Germany has committed to four Eurofighters.
The UK is "fully committed" to helping strengthen Operation Eastern Sentry, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement, adding that it would provide more details soon.
On Friday, European countries and the US supported Poland during an emergency session of the UN Security Council in New York where the incursion was discussed.
"The United States stands with our NATO allies in the face of these alarming airspace violations," said acting US ambassador to the UN, Dorothy Shea, who added, "rest assured, we will defend every inch of NATO territory."
She noted that since US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held their peace summit in Alaska nearly a month ago, Moscow had intensified its bombing of Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
European allies have said these large-scale airstrikes show Putin has no interest in ending the war in Ukraine. Kiev itself has probed deeper into Russian territory, striking refineries, fuel depots and logistics centers.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that there had been a "pause" in peace negotiations, blaming Ukraine's European allies for "obstructing" the process.
Trump, who has so far resisted calls for greater sanctions on Russia while he tries to reach a peace deal, also warned that his patience is "running out fast."
He told Fox News that "it's amazing. When Putin wanted to do it, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky didn't do it. When Zelensky wanted to do it, Putin didn't do it."
"Now Zelensky wants it and Putin is a question mark. We're going to have to react very, very strongly," Trump stressed.
While addressing the UN on Friday, Poland's Secretary of State, Marcin Bosacki, held up photos of one of the downed drones and a house that one of them had damaged.
"We know and I repeat, we know it was not a mistake," he said.
But Russia continued to insist that it had not targeted Poland, with UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia saying that “the maximum range of the drones used in this attack did not exceed 700 kilometers, which makes it physically impossible for them to have reached Polish territory.”
He said Moscow was ready to discuss the issue with Poland "if the Polish side is truly interested in reducing tensions instead of inciting them."
Belarus, which is located between Poland, Russia and Ukraine and is an ally of Moscow, has previously said the drones had gone off course after their navigation systems were jammed.
The Netherlands and the Czech Republic have already said they will send protection to Poland.
Meanwhile, Russia and Belarus began joint military exercises on Friday, which they hold every four years.
They again rejected accusations that these posed a threat to neighboring countries. The drills include exercises near the border with Poland and Lithuania and in the Baltic and Barents seas.
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