President Trump said Thursday that Russia’s violation of Poland’s airspace during a drone attack on Ukraine earlier this week could have been a mistake.

“It could have been a mistake, but regardless I’m not happy about anything to do with that situation,” Mr. Trump told reporters.

A number of Russian drones entered Polish airspace during an attack on Ukraine early Wednesday and were shot down with the help of NATO allies, a first since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

European leaders condemned the incident as major escalation by the Kremlin, which has brushed aside Mr. Trump’s calls to broker peace talks. Moscow has labeled the accusations “groundless” and insists it did not plan to attack any targets in Poland. 

The Russian Defense Ministry said that it had attacked the “military-industrial complex of Ukraine” in a “large-scale strike” but that “there were no targets envisioned for destruction on the Polish territory,” pointing to the flight range of the drones it said it used against western Ukraine.

It said it was “ready to hold consultations with the Polish Ministry of Defense on this matter.”

However, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said there was no doubt the incursion was intentional. He called the incident an unprecedented attack on NATO and the European Union.

“In this case there were 19 breaches, and it simply defies imagination that it could be accidental,” he told reporters, and called on the European Union to create a drone wall. 

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he activated NATO’s Article 4, which allows members to demand consultation with their allies and that he was speaking with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Mr. Rutte called the situation “reckless behavior” regardless of whether it was intentional.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.