President Donald Trump offered his first reaction to Russia’s drone incursion on Poland, which the country’s military and European leaders condemned as “unprecedented.”
“What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” Trump wrote on his social media platform on Wednesday.
Polish airspace was violated by at least 19 Russian drones overnight, the country’s prime minister said. The Russian action prompted NATO to scramble a response, as two Polish F-16s and two Dutch F-35s were deployed to shoot them down.
It marked the first time in the alliance’s history that fighters had engaged potential targets in allied airspace, according to Col. Martin L. O’Donnell, a spokesperson for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.
Trump spoke with Polish President Karol Nawrocki on Wednesday afternoon, “regarding the repeated violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones, which occurred last night,” the Polish leader said in an post on X.
“The conversation is part of a series of consultations I am conducting with our allies,” Nawrocki said. “Today’s talks confirmed allied unity.”
Officials with the Polish Interior Ministry said police, border guard and fire officials remained “on constant alert.”
Debris from 16 drones had been located in several Polish towns, the interior ministry said.
Last week, Trump pledged to help Poland protect itself during a bilateral meeting with Nawrocki at the White House.
“We’re with Poland all the way,” Trump said at the time.
Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski had strong words for Trump during a news conference on Wednesday, telling reporters Russian President Vladimir Putin “laughs” at Trump’s peace efforts.
“Putin laughs at President Trump’s peace efforts,” Sikorski said. “Since Alaska, he has only intensified the war. I hope that [Trump] backs his words with action.”
In response to the overnight incursion, the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, posted a short message on X: “We stand by our NATO Allies in the face of these airspace violations and will defend every inch of NATO territory.”