NATO fighter jets shot down at least three Russian drones in Polish airspace overnight after more than a dozen entered its eastern border, according to several reports. It was a historic action, the first time that NATO forces have shot down a Russian aircraft in a NATO country.
But President Donald Trump didn’t offer much clarity about what the U.S. plans to do about it, writing a confusing Truth Social post on Wednesday that could be read several different ways.
“What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” Trump wrote shortly after 11 a.m. ET.
It’s unclear what the president means by “here we go!” but experts fear Russia and its leader, President Vladimir Putin, could be testing boundaries in Europe as it continues to wage a brutal war against Ukraine. President Trump has talked tough about Russia but has largely let Putin do whatever he wants without consequence.
Trump held a bilateral meeting with Putin in Alaska recently that was largely seen as an embarrassment for the U.S. The Russian leader got a literal red carpet invitation, but Trump failed to advance any solutions to stop the war. President Trump had previously claimed he would be able to end the conflict even before he took office in January.
After the incursion overnight, Poland invoked Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which raises the alarm among all 32 member countries. Article 4 starts formal discussions among the allied nations and is rarely used, but it is less drastic than Article 5, which states that an attack against one nation is an attack against them all.
Some pundits have called Russia’s actions overnight an “Article 5 situation” and want NATO to respond in kind, though invoking the article doesn’t automatically mean member nations must act militarily. Allies must “assist” the country, but that assistance can come in many forms. The last time Article 4 was invoked was Feb. 24, 2022, the day Russia first launched its current war against Ukraine.
As the New York Times notes, Russian drones have penetrated Polish airspace before during the war against Ukraine, including twice just last week. But the number of objects seen in the sky this time was highly unusual. Donald Tusk, Poland’s prime minister, said 19 drones flew over Polish territory, though he didn’t specify a precise number being shot down.
Poland’s deputy prime minister, Radosław Sikorski, posted a video to X explaining that his country does not believe Russia’s drones veered off course. They believe Poland was “deliberately targeted” and Sikorski ridiculed Russia’s suggestion that the drones weren’t Russian and could be a “Ukrainian provocation.”
“This was anticipated. Lies and denials are default Soviet responses,” Sikorski said in the video. “The Kremlin is again mocking President Trump’s peace efforts.”
Last night, Poland’s airspace was breached 19 times by drones manufactured in Russia. Our assessment is that they did not veer off course but were deliberately targeted. Poland, EU and NATO will not be intimidated and we will continue to stand by the brave people of Ukraine.… pic.twitter.com/prAEqrIUKX — Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) September 10, 2025
The NATO assets that shot down the Russian drones included F-16 fighters, Dutch F-35 fighters, German Patriot air defense systems, and an Italian surveillance plane, according to the New York Times.
Trump and Poland’s president, Karol Nawrocki, are supposed to be speaking at some point on Wednesday, according to the Guardian, which characterized Trump’s bizarre tweet as “cryptic.”