Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft that enter their airspace, following a series of drone incursions reported in northern and eastern Europe this month.
Speaking to reporters at the United Nations in New York, Trump was asked whether he supported such action. “Yes, I do,” he responded.
Denmark, Estonia, Norway and Poland have all reported Russian drones crossing into their airspace in recent weeks. NATO forces assisted Poland in downing drones earlier this month, the alliance confirmed.
The president suggested that Ukraine could ultimately prevail in its war with Russia and said American support for NATO countries taking action against Russian aircraft would “depend on the circumstances.”
Still, Trump pointed to what he described as greater unity among NATO members since he pressed them to increase military spending.
“NATO stepped up, you know, when they went from 2% to 5%. That was great unity,” Trump said. “It’s a lot of weapons they’re buying, and they’re buying them from us. They’re buying them from the U.S.”
The comments come as the Russia-Ukraine war stretches into its fourth year and as NATO members heighten air defenses amid repeated drone sightings in Europe.
Trump also met Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the 80th U.N. General Assembly in New York, as European allies reported a string of drone incursions into their airspace allegedly tied to Russia.
The meeting, which lasted about an hour, was one of several in-person discussions the two leaders have held in recent months over efforts to end the war in Ukraine. While their relationship has been marked by tensions at times, officials reported no disputes during Tuesday’s talks.
Zelensky told reporters afterward he had “good news” regarding the conflict. Trump described the Ukrainian leader as “a brave man.”
“He’s a brave man, and he’s putting up one hell of a fight. And we’ll see how that all turns out,” Trump said. “We have a lot of meetings scheduled today, going pretty late into the night, but this is an important one, and we have great respect for the fight that Ukraine is putting up. It’s pretty amazing, actually.”