Trump urges NATO to shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter allied airspace as tensions rise at UN
Former president tells UN colleagues that European nations should act against intruding Russian planes, citing recent airspace incursions in the Baltic and eastern Europe
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump urged NATO allies to shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter European airspace, saying they should be emboldened to act. He made the remarks alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday during a week of General Assembly meetings.
Trump said the United States could back up NATO members that take such action, depending on the circumstances, while stressing that Washington remains strong toward the alliance. His comments come as the war in Ukraine persists and as Russia has stepped up air activity near European borders, raising questions about how Western partners would respond in a crisis.
The remarks come as three Russian aircraft intruded into airspace belonging to countries not directly involved in Ukraine, underscoring the volatility of the region and the risk of escalation. On September 19, three Russian MiG-31 jets entered Estonian airspace for about 12 minutes over the Gulf of Finland. NATO described the incursion as a violation of Estonia’s airspace, and while interceptors were dispatched, there was no engagement.
A few days later, on September 21, a Russian IL-20M reconnaissance plane crossed into neutral Baltic Sea airspace. German and Swedish jets intercepted that aircraft, which Western officials described as a routine response to an unfamiliar radar signature in the region.
And on September 22, Russian warplanes entered Romanian and Polish airspace during joint exercises. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the move a large-scale provocation and said it represented a breach of Polish sovereignty, invoking NATO Article 4 for consultations with ally members. Poland has warned that actions violating its airspace could trigger a defensive response by alliance members if necessary.
Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski addressed the UN Security Council on Tuesday, emphasizing that if another missile or aircraft enters Polish airspace and is shot down, the international community should not lament afterward. He said Warsaw had warned others to avoid miscalculation and escalation in the region.
Russia has repeatedly denied intent behind the incidents, arguing that the range limits of its drones could not reach Poland and blaming electronic warfare disruptions for some incursions. Moscow calls the explanations technical and situational rather than deliberate provocations.
The exchange comes amid a week of diplomacy at the United Nations, where Zelensky has pressed Western leaders for sustained and expanded support to Ukraine, including military assistance and sanctions pressure on Moscow. Trump’s appearance and statements at the UN, meanwhile, reflect a posture that has hardened toward Russia during his public comments, even as U.S. and European officials continue to emphasize the need for restraint and alliance unity.
The episode underscores the fragility of security dynamics surrounding the war in Ukraine and raises questions about how NATO and its partners would respond to any actual Russian military action inside European airspace. It also highlights the political moment in which U.S. leadership and policy toward Moscow remains a live and evolving debate, with different administration and presidential voices offering divergent approaches to alliance commitments and defense of allied sovereign territory.
As leaders gather in New York for the General Assembly, the world watches for signals about the balance between deterrence and diplomacy, and about the willingness of NATO members to act in concert to deter incursions and maintain stability along Europe’s periphery.