Russian drone incursion into Poland 'could have been a mistake,' Trump says
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Sept. 11 that Russia's drone incursion into Polish territory overnight on Sept. 10 "could have been a mistake," expressing frustration with the situation.
When asked by reporters what his reaction was to the incursion, Trump responded: "It could have been a mistake. But regardless, I'm not happy with anything to do with that whole situation."
"But hopefully it's going to come to an end," Trump added, without further commenting on the matter.
The comments from Trump mark his first public statements to reporters on the matter. In the aftermath of the incursion, Trump initially responded with a post on Truth Social.
"What's with Russia violating Poland's airspace with drones? Here we go!" Trump wrote.
Poland's Air Force was forced to shoot down at least three Russian drones for the first time since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Nineteen Russian drones were recorded crossing into Poland on Sept. 10, in what European officials describe as a Russian attempt at testing NATO's resolve.
Trump's assessment of the incursion comes in direct contrast with those posed by allies.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski accused Russia of deliberately violating Polish airspace after multiple Russian drones crossed into Poland and were shot down.
"Last night, Poland's airspace was breached 19 times by drones manufactured in Russia. The assessment of Polish and NATO air forces is that they did not veer off course, but were deliberately targeted," Sikorski said in a video statement posted to social media.
In response, Poland activated NATO's Article 4, which allows member states to request consultations when they believe their security is under threat.
Meanwhile, Russian officials have denied denied wrongdoing. After the incident, the Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement saying Moscow had "not planned to hit" any targets in Poland. Andrei Ordash, Russia's charge d'affaires in Warsaw, also dismissed claims that the drones shot down in Polish territory were of Russian origin.
Sikorski rejected Moscow's "lies and denials," dismissing them as "default Soviet responses."
German media outlets Spiegel and Welt reported on Sept. 11 that the Russian drones shot down were reportedly headed for Rzeszow Airport, a key logistics hub for aid to Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 11 that the EU's best response to the incursion of Russian drones into its airspace would be a powerful 19th sanctions package.
While Trump has urged the European Union to ramp up its own economic pressure on Russia amid its ongoing war, the United States has thus far refused to implement additional sanctions on Russian oil.
