Polish officials insisted Friday that a drone incursion into its territory was an intentional provocation by Russia and strongly rejected suggestions made by President Trump the day before that it could have been a mistake.
Polish and NATO forces shot down 16 Russian drones over their airspace on Wednesday. The incident has drawn strong condemnations from European leaders and has led to heavy restrictions on Polish airspace.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mr. Trump implied that the incident “could have been a mistake.” Mr. Trump seemed alarmed by the incident on Wednesday, posting “Here we go!” on social media.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk soundly rejected Mr. Trump’s suggestion Friday, insisting that the incursion was intentional.
“We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake. But it wasn’t. And we know it,” the prime minister wrote on X.
Mr. Tusk’s message was backed up by Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk, who called the incident a “deliberate Russian attack,” and called on Mr. Trump to act accordingly.
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Following the incident on Wednesday, Mr. Tusk invoked Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which lets members demand meetings with their allies. The 15-member U.N. Security Council will meet at 3 p.m. Friday to discuss the incident.
The contradiction between Mr. Trump and the Polish leadership underscores significant differences in their positions. Poland has been one of Ukraine’s most outspoken supporters since Russia’s invasion began in 2022, spending more than $40 billion in aid.
Mr. Trump, for his part, has resisted calls from the international community to harshly critique Moscow as his administration works to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. Still, Mr. Trump has pushed for intense secondary sanctions on China and India in an attempt to pressure Moscow, and he has committed to sending more defensive aid to Ukraine.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.