Trump vows to defend Poland as drone incursions test NATO unity
President says he would aid Poland and the Baltic states if Russia escalates, as drone violations heighten tensions across Europe
President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would defend Poland if it faced Russia in a confrontation, a pledge he offered as he left the White House to attend the memorial for the assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Asked whether Washington would shield Poland and the Baltic states if Moscow escalated, Trump told reporters: "Yeah, I would, I will." The pledge followed a drone incursion linked to Russia that prompted Poland to scramble air defenses in what officials described as the largest escalation since World War III. During a Kremlin strike on Ukraine, 19 Shahed-2 drones entered Polish airspace in the early hours of Sept. 10, with at least three shot down; days later, another drone was neutralized over the presidential palace.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk invoked NATO's Article 4, calling for urgent talks after saying the drones represented the most serious provocation to date and warning, "we are closer to war than any time since World War II." Officials described the operation as unprecedented for a NATO member, and said allied support would be coordinated to defend airspace and critical infrastructure. About 8.6 million Poles were ordered to remain at home as the air-defense operation continued.
NATO and allied forces responded quickly. The alliance pressed to deploy a multinational fighter-jet presence and relied on Italian surveillance aircraft after Patriot air-defense systems detected drones on radar. A senior NATO officer told a German newspaper, Die Welt, that, based on current information, the drones most likely entered NATO airspace deliberately, underscoring the fragile boundary between civilian and military airspace in the region.
The broader confrontation drew in regional leaders and prompted warnings from Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the airspace violation as a dangerous precedent and urged a strong, united response from NATO. In Warsaw, he described the incident as an attempt to humiliate Poland and called for solidarity among partners.
Estonia also pressed for swift consultation under Article 4 after three Russian fighter jets violated its airspace in a brazen move intended to intimidate the Baltic state. Tallinn subsequently asked NATO to coordinate a robust, united response, and Allied airpower, including F-35s, was deployed to deter further incursions.
Poland later reported a separate drone over the Belweder Palace in Warsaw on Sept. 15, which was neutralized by the State Protection Service. Authorities said two Belarusians were detained in connection with that incident, and the drone operators were handed over to police investigators. Poland’s security services emphasized continued vigilance over government buildings and critical sites along the border with Russia.
Tensions in the wider Baltic region persisted, with incursions into Estonia and Romania in the days that followed. Romanian defense officials said a drone entered national airspace during a Russian strike on infrastructure in western Ukraine, prompting Romanian F-16s to monitor the situation. The pace of incursions and the involvement of multiple NATO members underscored the danger of miscalculation in a highly charged security environment.
In the United States, Trump also drew attention to the flare-up during a press huddle outside the White House. He had previously posted on his Truth Social platform, "Here we go!" in response to the NATO-led downing of the drones. His comments came as NATO and allied governments sought to present a united stance while assessing risk across Europe, including potential threats to NATO territory.
The episode comes as Russia intensified strikes on Ukraine overnight, killing several people and wounding dozens more, according to Ukrainian and Western officials. Moscow has repeatedly denied targeting NATO territory, but the incidents have sharpened concerns about a broader conflict involving multiple front lines and a complex matrix of airspace violations, deployments, and military exercises in the region.