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Warsaw says the drones were deliberately targeting Poland – Trump is not so sure.
Warsaw says the drones were deliberately targeting Poland – Trump is not so sure.
What is happening?
U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in on Russia’s drone breach of Polish airspace, calling the incident possibly accidental.
“It could have been a mistake,” he told reporters on Sept. 11. “But regardless, I’m not happy with anything to do with that whole situation.”
He added, “Hopefully it’s going to come to an end,” without elaborating further.
These were Trump’s first spoken comments on the incursion, after initially reacting online.
“Here we go!”
Before speaking to the press, Trump responded to the news via his Truth Social account.
“What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” he wrote.
The message captured his frustration but offered little in terms of clarity or proposed action.
Poland shoots down Russian drones in historic first
Polish forces were compelled to shoot down at least three Russian drones on Sept. 10—the first such action since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
A total of 19 Russian drones were reported crossing into Polish airspace during the night.
Officials in Europe believe this was a test of NATO’s willingness to respond.
Trump’s take at odds with Warsaw and NATO allies
Trump’s suggestion that the incident might have been accidental clashed with assessments from Polish and NATO officials.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski was quick to push back, stating flatly: “No, it wasn’t a mistake.”
He accused Russia of deliberately targeting Polish territory.
“Deliberately targeted”
Sikorski posted a video message asserting that the Russian drones did not simply veer off course.
“Poland’s airspace was breached 19 times by drones manufactured in Russia,” he said.
According to him, both Polish and NATO assessments concluded the drones were purposefully directed.
A headache for NATO
Since Trump took the White House for his second term, NATO has been in a limbo.
Trump has repeatedly voiced his displeasure with the other members of the alliance, because they, in his opinion, do not contribute enough to the collective defense.
Trump has even cast doubt on whether the US would honor NATO’s article 5, known as the Musketeer’s Oath.
No consequences for Putin?
The biggest question after the Russian drones violated Polish airspace is how NATO will respond.
If the response is too strong, it could risk escalating the situation, pushing the world closer to a direct armed conflict.
However, if the response is too weak, it can show Putin that he can attack NATO allies without any risk of retaliation.
Trump saying that the Russian drones in Poland could have been an accident can become a problem, when the NATO allies get together to discuss how to react.
Poland triggers NATO consultations under Article 4
In response to the breach, Poland activated Article 4 of the NATO treaty.
This mechanism allows a member country to call for consultations if it believes its security is threatened.
The move signaled the seriousness with which Warsaw views the drone incursion.
Russia cites “no plans to hit Poland”
Russian officials rejected the claims, saying no drones were intended to enter Polish airspace.
The Defense Ministry insisted Moscow had “not planned to hit” any targets in Poland.
Russia’s chargé d’affaires in Warsaw, Andrei Ordash, also denied that the downed drones were of Russian origin.
Poland rejects Kremlin’s “Soviet-style lies”
Minister Sikorski dismissed Russia’s denials as part of a familiar playbook.
“These are default Soviet responses,” he said, accusing Moscow of deliberate deceit.
He called for European unity in confronting Russia’s escalating tactics.
Zelensky and Trump both call for stronger EU action
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the EU to respond with a new sanctions package—specifically a 19th round of penalties.
Trump also encouraged European nations to tighten economic pressure on Russia.
However, the U.S. has not followed suit with new sanctions on Russian oil.
