Polish officials insist that Russian drones were not in aerial space by mistake, as suggested by Trump

Poland rejected a suggestion from Donald Trump on Friday that the Russian drone included in his airspace could have been a mistake, a rare contradiction from the American president of one of the European allies closest to Washington.

“We also want the attack on the drone against Poland to be an error. But that was not the case. And we know it,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.

Early Wednesday, Poland shot down several drones in its airspace with the support of military aircraft of its NATO allies, the first time that a member of the Western military alliance was known to have shot during the Russia War in Ukraine. Poland said drones entered its airspace over a period of hours and that drone debris has been recovered in several regions.

While the American ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, said that the United States “would defend every centimeter from NATO territory” in a social media position in the hours that followed the incursion of the drone, Trump gave little public comments on the issue, offering a position on Wednesday that expressed his surprise to this incident.

Look at the difficult questions about the oriental native lines after the incursion of the drone:

Does Russia come from Poland at war? | On this subject

Poland says that it has shot down several Russian drones in its airspace, the first time that a NATO country is known to have drawn directly from Russia since its invasion of Ukraine. Although this is not the first time that a Russian attack has been posed in the airspace of another country, Andrew Chang explains why this time is different – and examines why climbing is of a particular global concern. Images provided by Getty Images, The Canadian Press and Reuters.

Trump told journalists on Thursday on leaving the White House for New York that Russian drones landed in Poland “could have been a mistake.”

“But whatever, I’m not happy that everything that has to do with this whole situation. But I hope it will end,” said Trump.

The White House has not announced any sanction or additional actions against Russia, despite the multiple deadlines that Trump announced publicly for the Kremlin to put himself seriously about the negotiation of a cease-fire in the war. Trump welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in mid-August, but the summit did not lead to additional momentum for Ukraine and Russia to engage in direct talks.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who visits Kyiv on Friday, also responded to Trump’s words.

“The night when 19 Russian drones crossed Poland, 400 (drones) plus 40 missiles crossed Ukraine. They are not mistakes,” he said in a video published on X.

Poland is among the American allies closest to Europe. He welcomed Trump for calling for greater European military spending and was rented in turn by the Trump administration for having devoted the largest share of his economy to the defense of all NATO ally. An American base of anti-album missiles opened its doors in northern Poland last year.

At the request of Poland, the United Nations Security Council will meet in New York to discuss the issue on Friday. NATO called a press conference for later in the day with its secretary general Mark Rutte, and his senior military official, the commander of the Supreme Europe allies Alexus Grynkewich, who is a American general of the Air Force.

European officials were in Washington this week in the hope of coordinating sanctions against Russia with the American administration. Announcement of such sanctions in tandem was previously a standard practice but has not taken place since Trump returned to functions.

Putin did not comment on the incident. The Russian Defense Ministry said it was not planned to reach targets in Poland, although it was not downright denying that it had violated a Polish airspace.

On Thursday, France said that it would deploy three burst fighter planes to help Poland protect its airspace and Germany said it would strengthen its commitment to the eastern NATO border.

Russia, Belarus

Even before the drone incident, Tusk announced that Poland would close its border with the Bélarus before the joint military exercises of this country with Russia, which began on Friday.

The “Zapad-2025” exercises did not target any other country, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

Look at Keir Giles, from the Russia and Eurasia program by Chatham House, on the drone incident:

In the Russian-Ukraine war, “Poland has drawn a very clear line” in its airspace, says the expert

In December, Russia and Bélarus signed a pact giving Moscow safety guarantees to its ally, including the possible use of Russian nuclear weapons to help repel any aggression.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed the support of his country on Friday to Poland on state radio, saying that the foray into Polish airspace was unacceptable.

“Despite the current political skirmishes, the Poles are our friends,” said Orban, who often criticized EU’s support levels in Ukraine during the war. “So we said of the incursion of Russian drones in Polish territory immediately that it was unacceptable.”

During night fighting, the Russian soldiers said that its air defense systems had intercepted and destroyed 221 Ukrainian drones, including nine above the Moscow region.

A drone attack on the northwest port of Russia in Primorsk set fire to a ship and a pumping station on Friday, the regional governor said the first drone strike reported on one of the largest oil and fuel export terminals in the country.

Since the beginning of August, Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure, including refineries and pipelines, while peace talks remain at neutral.

Governor Alexander Drozdenko said more than 30 drones had been destroyed in the region, without mentioning the war in Ukraine.

Primorsk is located on the Gulf of Finland near Saint Petersburg.