President Donald Trump on Thursday downplayed an international incident earlier this week in which 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, The Hill reported.
"Could have been a mistake. Could have been a mistake," Trump told reporters as he left for New York to attend a Yankees game.
"But regardless, I'm not happy about anything having to do with that whole situation. But hopefully, it's going to come to an end."
A day earlier, Trump posted on Truth Social, "What's with Russia violating Poland's airspace with drones? Here we go!"
Poland scrambled fighter jets and activated air defenses, shooting down some of the drones. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the incident was the closest Europe has come to open conflict since World War II.
Poland also invoked Article 4 of the NATO treaty, initiating consultations with the alliance. EU and NATO leaders denounced the intrusion as deliberate, with Poland calling it "an act of aggression."
Poland's military command said radars had tracked more than 10 objects and those that could pose a threat were "neutralized."
Russia's Defense Ministry said it did not target Poland. Belarus, a close ally of Moscow, said it tracked some drones that "lost their course" because they were jammed.
Some Senate Republicans were pushing the White House to increase sanctions on Moscow in the aftermath of the incident.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., posted on X: "Mr. President, Congress is with you. We stand 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."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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