OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
2:36 PM – Tuesday, September 23, 2025
President Donald Trump called on NATO allies to take decisive military action against Russian aircraft violating alliance airspace, demonstrating strong leadership in response to a series of recent Eastern European violations.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, during a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Trump responded in agreement when asked whether he believes NATO countries should shoot down Russian jets if they violate their airspace.
“Yes, I do,” President Trump said, also noting that U.S. support in operations of this kind would completely “depend on the circumstance” — contingent on specific situations.
Trump further emphasized that although he supports NATO’s right to defend its airspace, he has not committed U.S. forces to any direct military engagement involving Russian jets invading airspace.
In recent weeks, there have been reports of Russian aircraft and drones slipping into the airspace of NATO countries like Poland, Romania, and Estonia. NATO has pushed back with firm warnings, making it clear it’s ready to do whatever it takes to stop these violations from continuing.
One of the incidents reportedly involved three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets that briefly entered Estonian airspace.
The jets were eventually intercepted by NATO’s Italian fighters, being escorted out after approximately 12 minutes, and NATO responded to the incident by invoking Article 4 of its founding treaty — which allows consultations when a member state perceives a threat to its security.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has also repeatedly warned Russia that the alliance will use all necessary military and non-military means to defend its members against airspace violations.
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