Trump on Russian drones shot down over Poland: 'Here we go!'

www.washingtontimes.com

President Trump offered his first reaction Wednesday to reports of Russian drones violating Polish airspace, questioning why it was happening.

“What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” he wrote on Truth Social.

Poland said it and NATO allies shot down the drones, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk telling Parliament of 19 violations recorded over seven hours.

“I want to emphasize very strongly that there is no reason to claim we’re on the brink of war, but there is no doubt that this provocation exceeds the existing boundaries and is incomparably more dangerous from Poland’s point of view than all the others,” Mr. Tusk said.

He said the situation brings Poland “the closest we have been to open conflict since World War II.”

Numerous crash sites were found, according to Polish authorities, but no deaths were reported.

Mr. Tusk thanked the Polish Operational Command and NATO pilots for shooting down the drones.

“Actions speak louder than words,” he wrote on X.

The Polish leader told Parliament that “for the first time, a significant portion of the drones came directly from Belarus.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it was not targeting Poland, only Ukraine.

Belarusian Maj. Gen. Pavel Muraveiko, first deputy defense minister of a country allied with Russia, said in a statement that Russia and Ukraine were trading drone strikes overnight, but some drones lost their course because they were jammed and that Belarusian forces warned of “unidentified aircraft” approaching Poland and Lithuania.

NATO allies shared their support for Poland.

“Hungary stands in full solidarity with Poland following the recent drone incident. The violation of Poland’s territorial integrity is unacceptable,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote on X.

“The incident proves that our policy of calling for peace in the Russia-Ukraine war is reasonable and rational. Living in the shadow of a war is fraught with risks and dangers. It’s time to make it stop! To this end, we support the efforts of President @realDonaldTrump aimed at achieving peace,” he wrote.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident “an extremely reckless move by Russia and only serves to remind us of [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin’s blatant disregard for peace and the constant bombardment innocent Ukrainians face every day.”

American lawmakers also weighed in, with Rep. Joe Wilson, South Carolina Republican, calling it “an act of war.”

“We are grateful to NATO allies for their swift response to war criminal Putin’s continued unprovoked aggression against free and productive nations. I urge President Trump to respond with mandatory sanctions that will bankrupt the Russian war machine and arm Ukraine with weapons capable of striking Russia,” he posted on X.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, responding to Mr. Trump’s Truth Social post Wednesday, said he agrees with the president’s “sentiment in response to Russia’s insane violation of Polish airspace for hours, deploying multiple drones.”

The senator said Congress is “ready to pass legislation authorizing bone-crushing new sanctions and tariffs that can be deployed at your discretion. Our goal is to empower you as you deal with this mounting threat.”

Mr. Graham said Mr. Trump is right “to insist that Europe follows your lead on imposing tariffs against countries like China and India who buy cheap Russian oil, the proceeds of which fuel Putin’s war machine.”

He added, “To Europe: I hope you understand that Republicans and Democrats in Congress are working with President Trump on new ideas — like tariffs — to end this war. I also hope you are watching.”