Former President Donald Trump said Russian drones that entered Polish airspace "could have been a mistake" but added that he was "not happy" about the incident, after Poland and its NATO allies said they had shot down the devices in what officials described as a serious breach of alliance territory.
Poland said the incursions occurred on Wednesday and that its forces shot down multiple drones that violated its airspace. Warsaw said some of the drones crossed from Belarus, where Russian and local troops were concentrating for scheduled military exercises, and announced it would close its border with Belarus at midnight. The Polish Air Navigation Agency also imposed air traffic restrictions in the eastern part of the country at the request of the military.
NATO and European leaders condemned the incursion and described it as an unprecedented provocation that deepened fears the three-year war in Ukraine could spill beyond Ukrainian territory. Officials said this was the first known instance of a NATO member shooting at targets linked to Russia's war in Ukraine. A senior NATO commander said it was not yet known whether the drone movements were intentional.
The Kremlin said it had no further comment beyond remarks from the Defence Ministry, which insisted Russian forces had not targeted Poland and said it was open to discussing the incident with Polish officials. Russia also said it had not intended to hit any targets in Poland.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed the incursion on Thursday with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Starmer said it was "clear that Russia was continuing to ramp up its aggression, systematically stepping up its attacks through a campaign of increasingly belligerent actions." Germany announced plans to extend and expand air policing over Poland.
Poland's prime minister, Donald Tusk, convened an emergency meeting of senior officials and visited an air base in the central city of Lask, where he praised the quick response by Polish troops and NATO allies, including forces from the Netherlands. Senior army officials, including the chief of the general staff, attended the extraordinary meeting, the government said. Tusk pledged to pursue a major modernisation program for the Polish military.
Authorities shared images showing damage to a residential building after one of the devices struck a house, and the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania released a joint statement calling the move "a deliberate and coordinated strike constituting an unprecedented provocation and escalation of tension."
Poland's decision to shoot down the drones marks a notable escalation in direct military encounters related to the wider conflict in Ukraine. The incident has prompted NATO to review its posture and air-defence arrangements in eastern Europe, and allied officials said discussions were under way about how to deter further violations of member states' airspace.
The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting at Poland's request for Friday afternoon to consider the incident. U.S.-led efforts to mediate a peace settlement between Moscow and Kyiv have so far not produced a breakthrough, officials said, and the incursion will likely complicate diplomatic initiatives.
Poland said some of the drones had originated from Belarus, where Russian forces and Belarusian troops were conducting preparations for war games set to begin on Friday. In response to the concentration of forces and the airspace violations, Warsaw announced both the border measures and tighter controls on air traffic in the east of the country.
Trump, speaking to reporters outside the White House on Thursday, reiterated that the flight of the drones into Polish airspace "could have been a mistake" while emphasising his displeasure. U.S. and allied military and diplomatic officials continued to assess the incident and its implications for NATO's collective defense commitments.
International leaders and defence officials said the episode underscored the risks of inadvertent escalation amid sustained hostilities, and allied governments signalled they would take steps to bolster air policing and readiness along NATO's eastern flank. The immediate diplomatic and military responses — including the Security Council meeting and changes to NATO air-policing deployments — will be closely watched as officials seek to determine whether the incursions were deliberate and how to prevent a recurrence.