U.S. President Vows to Defend Poland, Baltic States If Russia Escalates

AFP

U.S. President Donald Trump makes his way to board Air Force One before departing from Maryland.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would defend Poland and the Baltic states if Russia escalates hostilities, following Moscow’s incursion into Estonian airspace.

Asked by reporters whether he would assist in defending EU and NATO members in the event of further aggression, President Trump replied: “Yeah, I would. I would.”

Estonia has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Sunday after three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated its airspace over the Gulf of Finland on Friday. The incident drew condemnation from NATO and the EU, which labeled it a dangerous provocation, while Moscow denied the violation.

Italian F-35s deployed under NATO’s Baltic air defense mission, along with Swedish and Finnish aircraft, intercepted the Russian jets and escorted them out of the area.

The Estonian Foreign Ministry said this marks the first time in 34 years of UN membership that the country has formally requested an emergency Security Council session. Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna described the incursion as “part of a broader pattern of escalation by Russia, both regionally and globally,” citing earlier violations of Polish and Romanian airspace this month.

“This behavior requires an international response,” Tsahkna said.

Asked whether he had been briefed on the situation, President Trump confirmed and commented: “We don’t like it.”

The president’s pledge comes two weeks after 17 Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace, an incident Trump initially sought to downplay, suggesting it “could have been a mistake.”

Source: AFP



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