United States President Donald Trump on Sunday said he would defend Poland and the Baltic states in case of an escalation from Russia, following Moscow’s incursion into Estonia’s airspace.
Asked whether he would help defend the EU members if Russia intensifies hostilities, Trump told reporters: “Yeah, I would. I would.” Estonia has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday following Friday’s incursion.
Three Russian MiG-31 fighters violated Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland, triggering complaints of a dangerous new provocation from the European Union and Nato, but a denial from Moscow.
Italian F-35 fighters attached to Nato’s air defence support mission in the Baltic states, along with Swedish and Finnish aircraft, were scrambled to intercept the Russian jets and warn them off.
Asked whether he had been briefed on the situation in Estonia, Trump answered in the affirmative and added: “We don’t like it.” His statement came about two weeks after some 17 Russian drones violated Polish airspace, in an incident that Trump then sought to downplay.
“It could have been a mistake,” Trump told journalists on September 11.
