Amid rising tensions in Europe following the incursion of at least 19 Russian drones into Polish airspace, US President Donald Trump sent a message to NATO countries on Saturday morning, urging them to stop buying Russian oil. He also warned that Washington will impose new sanctions on Moscow when all members of the alliance adopt the same stance.
He also proposed imposing tariffs on China as a pressure measure to end the war in Ukraine.
“I am prepared to impose significant sanctions on Russia when all NATO countries have agreed and begun to do the same, and when all NATO countries stop buying oil from Russia,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“NATO’s commitment to winning has been far less than 100%, and the purchase of Russian oil by some has been shocking. This greatly weakens their negotiating position and bargaining power with Russia. Regardless, I’m ready to ‘act’ when you are. You just have to say when,” the Republican leader stressed.
He proposed that NATO, as a group, impose tariffs of “50 to 100 percent” on the Chinese regime—which would be lifted completely after the end of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine—as a measure to expedite a resolution. The US president argued that Beijing maintains a strong control, even dominance, over Moscow, and that applying pressure through these tariffs could break that influence.
“I'm only here to help stop the war and save thousands of Russian and Ukrainian lives (7,118 were lost last week alone. CRAZY!). If NATO does what I say, the war will end quickly and all those lives will be saved. If not, they will just be wasting my time, and America's time, energy, and money,” Trump concluded in his statement sent to NATO countries.
The incursion of at least 19 Russian drones into the airspace of Poland, a NATO member country, has provoked an unprecedented armed response from the Atlantic alliance and raised tensions on Europe's eastern flank. The incident, which occurred between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, led the Polish air defense system, with support from allied aircraft, to shoot down the devices, in what is the first known case of direct military action by NATO in the context of the war in Ukraine.
The magnitude of the incident prompted NATO to announce an immediate reinforcement of its defenses in the region, with the activation of Operation Eastern Sentinel. This initiative, presented by the organization's Secretary General, Mark Rutte, includes the deployment of troops and air defense systems from France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Denmark, among other allies. Rutte described the incursion as"reckless" and "unacceptable," and stressed that the mobilization of traditional and technological capabilities seeks to make it clear that the alliance "is always prepared to defend."
US General Alexus Grynkewich, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, detailed that the operation will integrate air and ground defenses, as well as increased information sharing among member states. Grynkewich emphasized that the scale of the incursion surpassed previous ones and that the increased resources are essential to address the increasing threats associated with the use of drones."What affects one ally affects us all," the general stated, assuring that the citizens of Poland and the rest of the Alliance can trust in NATO's response capabilities.
From the United States, Acting Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea conveyed Washington’s support for Warsaw and its Western allies during the emergency session of the United Nations Security Council, convened at Poland’s request. “The United States stands with our NATO allies in the face of these alarming airspace violations,” Shea said, reiterating her country’s commitment to “defend every inch of NATO territory.” The diplomat noted that Russia’s actions, coupled with the violation of an ally’s airspace, demonstrate “a massive lack of respect for the United States’ good faith efforts to end this conflict.”
US President Donald Trump considered that the Russian incursion “could have been a mistake,” although Ambassador Shea did not completely rule out that possibility, while emphasizing the seriousness of the incident.
For Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the incident an “attack” and rejected the possibility that it was a mistake. “We would like the drone attack on Poland to have been a mistake. But it wasn’t. And we know it,” Tusk said on social media. Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz thanked NATO for its “strong action and decisions in response to Russia’s aggressive policy” and stressed that the new deployment represents “an expression of responsibility for the security of the entire eastern flank of the alliance.”
The incident was also discussed at the UN Security Council, where Slovenia's ambassador, Samuel Zbogar, warned of the danger of the situation and the difficulty of imagining so many drones accidentally flying over Polish territory. In response to the accusations, the Russian ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, denied any intention to attack Poland and asserted that"there were no targets marked on Polish territory." Nebenzia argued that the maximum range of the drones used did not exceed 700 kilometers, which, according to him, would make it physically impossible for them to have reached Poland. He also attributed the Western reaction to an attempt by Ukraine to internationalize the conflict and expressed Moscow's willingness to engage in dialogue with Warsaw if there is a real interest in reducing tensions.
The joint statement, sponsored by the United States and its Western allies, read by Polish Secretary of State Marcin Bosacki, accused Moscow of violating international law and the United Nations Charter and demanded an end to the “war of aggression against Ukraine.” The document was backed by 43 countries, reflecting international concern over the escalating confrontation.
The context of this incident is set against more than three and a half years of war in Ukraine, with NATO maintaining forward forces in eight countries on the eastern flank and steadily strengthening its air defenses and the protection of critical infrastructure. The recent summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska, designed to jump-start peace negotiations, failed to halt the intensification of Russian bombing or prevent the violation of Polish airspace. According to Polish media, Russia has launched at least 21 drones against Poland, and the wreckage of the aircraft was located over a wide area, suggesting the possibility of multiple incursions.
NATO, meeting in the Atlantic Council at Poland's request, analyzed the context of the alliance's highest concentration of airspace violations in recent times. Rutte emphasized that Russia's reckless air activity along the eastern flank is increasing in frequency, and that Operation Eastern Sentinel will include everything from traditional air defenses to innovative technological solutions to counter the use of unmanned systems.
In this context of increasing tension, NATO has reiterated its commitment to protecting all its members and responding swiftly and meaningfully to any threat, reinforcing the confidence of the citizens of Poland and the rest of the Alliance in the capacity for collective defense.
