Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk dismissed President Donald Trump‘s suggestion that the recent Russian drone incursion “could have been a mistake.”
Poland accused Moscow of deliberately violating sovereign airspace after Russian drones crossed into the NATO country before being shot down. Russian forces were attacking in western Ukraine at the time.
NATO member Poland said it downed up to four of 19 Russian drones in the first engagement between a NATO member and Moscow since the start of the war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Why It Matters
The largest drone breach of NATO airspace came as Trump, who has in the past raised doubts about U.S. commitment to the alliance, is trying to foster negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to end the war there.
Polish officials inspect damage to a house damaged by debris from a shot down Russian drone in the village of Wyryki-Wola, eastern Poland, on September 10, 2025.
Polish officials inspect damage to a house damaged by debris from a shot down Russian drone in the village of Wyryki-Wola, eastern Poland, on September 10, 2025.
Wojtek RADWANSKI / AFP/Getty Images
What To Know
Tusk, in a post on X on Friday, said he wished the airspace violation by Russian drones could have simply been an error.
“We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake,” Tusk said. “But it wasn’t. And we know it.”
Poland accused Moscow of a serious provocation but Russia has said there is no evidence its drones were involved in the violation.
The Russian government’s newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta said the Polish outrage was part of the “demonization” of Russia. It accused Poland of “provocation” with its rhetoric.
Warsaw invoked NATO’s Article 4 in response to the incident, formally starting consultations with allies on how to respond.
After saying the drone incursion could have been a mistake, Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday that “regardless, I’m not happy about anything having to do with that whole situation. But hopefully it’s going to come to an end.”
Trump added that he would condemn Russia “even for being near that line.”
What People Are Saying
Trump told reporters on Thursday, referring to the Polish airspace violation: “I don’t like it, I’m not happy about it. The whole thing, I’m not happy about.”
Rossiyskaya Gazeta said in its commentary: “In their provocations for the sake of escalating the Ukrainian conflict, the West is raising the stakes.”
Polish President Karol Nawrocki told soldiers on Thursday: “This Russian provocation, as the generals and our soldiers are well aware, was nothing more than an attempt to test our capabilities, our ability to respond.”
What Happens Next
The United Nations Security Council is set to meet on Friday to discuss the drone incursions.