Trump on Russian drones shot down over Poland: ‘Here we go!’

Poland shot down Russian drones that violated the country’s airspace early Wednesday, Polish and NATO officials said, prompting President Trump to question why it was happening.

“What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” he wrote on Truth Social.

Some European leaders went harder, calling it an “intentional” escalation by Moscow.

It’s not the first time that drones believed to be of Russian origin have crossed into NATO airspace since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But this appears to be the first time that those aircraft have been shot down by a NATO member’s military.

Col. Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for NATO’s Supreme Allied Powers Europe, said, “this is the first time NATO planes have engaged potential threats in allied airspace.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told his country’s Parliament of 19 violations recorded over seven hours.

“I want to emphasize very strongly that there is no reason to claim we’re on the brink of war, but there is no doubt that this provocation exceeds the existing boundaries and is incomparably more dangerous from Poland’s point of view than all the others,” Mr. Tusk said.

Numerous crash sites were found, according to Polish authorities, but no deaths were reported.

Nevertheless, Mr. Tusk said the situation brings Poland “the closest we have been to open conflict since World War II.”

Aircraft from several NATO nations were involved in shooting down the drones. In addition to Polish aircraft, the Netherlands supported the action with its own F-35 fighter jets.

Poland invoked Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which allows member states to have urgent discussions with their allies. The consultations happened Wednesday at a previously planned meeting. Mr. Trump will speak later Wednesday to Polish President Karol Nawrocki, a White House official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Warsaw did not invoke Article 5, which is NATO’s collective security guarantee declaring that an attack on one is an attack on all. In the alliance’s 75-year history, it has only been invoked once — after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Mr. Tusk also told Parliament that “for the first time, a significant portion of the drones came directly from Belarus,” a country closely aligned with Moscow.

Belarusian Maj. Gen. Pavel Muraveiko, the first deputy defense minister of Belarus, said in a statement that Russia and Ukraine were trading drone strikes overnight, but some drones lost their course because they were jammed.

He said his country’s forces warned of “unidentified aircraft” approaching Poland and Lithuania.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its drones were targeting military-production sites in western Ukraine, which borders Poland. In an unusual gesture, the ministry also said it would be willing to hold consultations with its Polish opposite numbers.

Some European officials immediately rejected the idea that it was an accident.

“Last night in Poland, we saw the most serious European airspace violation by Russia since the war began, and indications suggest it was intentional, not accidental,” Kaja Kallas, the top diplomat for the European Union, said in a social media post.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the incident is the latest example of the threat Russia poses to Europe.

“It is clear that Russian aggression poses a danger to every independent nation in our region, and therefore only joint and coordinated action can guarantee reliable security,” he said.

Among there U.S. lawmakers weighing in, Rep. Joe Wilson, South Carolina Republican, called it “an act of war.”

“We are grateful to NATO allies for their swift response to war criminal Putin’s continued unprovoked aggression against free and productive nations. I urge President Trump to respond with mandatory sanctions that will bankrupt the Russian war machine and arm Ukraine with weapons capable of striking Russia,” he posted on X.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, responding to Mr. Trump’s Truth Social post Wednesday, said he agrees with the president’s “sentiment in response to Russia’s insane violation of Polish airspace for hours, deploying multiple drones.”

The senator said Congress is “ready to pass legislation authorizing bone-crushing new sanctions and tariffs that can be deployed at your discretion. Our goal is to empower you as you deal with this mounting threat.”