Nato should shoot down Russian aircrafts breaching airspace, says Trump

By Aliaksandr Kudrytski, Natalia Drozdiak and Ellen Milligan

 

President Donald Trump said Nato nations should shoot down Russian aircraft that violated their airspace and struck a more sympathetic tone on Ukraine’s chances of winning the war.

 

He spoke as he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following recent jet incursions that have alarmed allies.

 

“Yes, I do,” Trump said when asked directly by a reporter if Nato allies should take down Russian aircraft during his meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. 

 

In a subsequent social media post, Trump said he believed that Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, was positioned not only to fight back but to reclaim all the territory taken by Russia since its invasion in 2022 — and perhaps more.

 

“Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act. In any event, I wish both Countries well. We will continue to supply weapons to Nato for Nato to do what they want with them. Good luck to all!” Trump said.

 

The exchange embodied Trump’s recent policy of voicing support for Ukraine, even as he continues to emphasize that he wants Europe to take a greater role in efforts to pressure Russia. That’s left allies, who have political and economic barriers to imposing additional tariffs and sanctions on Moscow and its partners, unsure of the extent to which the US is dedicated to assisting Kyiv and punishing the Kremlin.

 

On Tuesday, Trump declined to say whether the US would support Nato if it engaged Russian planes over its airspace, saying it “depends on the circumstance” but that “we’re very strong toward Nato.”

 

But in his social media post, he criticized Russia for “fighting aimlessly for three and a half years a War that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win.”

 

“I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form,” Trump said. Zelenskyy said the post was a big shift and described it as positive. 

 

Trump’s comments came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back against Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s assertion that his country was prepared to down foreign aircraft that enter its territory.

 

Rubio said he did not think anyone was talking “about shooting down Russian jets unless they’re attacking,” in comments to CBS News earlier Tuesday.

 

The series of incidents in which Russian aircraft have crossed into the airspace of Nato allies has sparked worry along the alliance’s eastern flank and comes as European partners are pushing Trump to take firmer action against Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring an end to the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine.

 

Earlier this month, Nato forces shot down Russian drones that crossed into Poland. Last week, Russian fighter jets also entered Estonian airspace for 12 minutes, further rattling US allies.

 

Latvia’s President Edgars Rinkevics called on Tuesday for a “show of force” from Nato in response to Russian incursions. “I think the rules of engagement need also to be upgraded in a way that if Russia continues, the opening of fire would be an alternative,” he said in a Bloomberg TV interview. 

 

Trump in recent days appeared to downplay the severity of the Russian incursions, suggesting at times that he did not know if an earlier incident was an accident or even a “mistake,” while other nations have cast the violations as intentional actions by the Kremlin to test the resolve of Ukraine’s allies. Some have questioned if Moscow is attempting to divert the alliance’s resources from supporting Ukraine.  

 

Earlier Tuesday, Nato issued a statement promising a “robust” response to the Russian incursions, saying it would use all options, including military, to defend itself. Russia’s Defense Ministry has denied its jets had entered Estonian airspace.

 

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said the response until now has been “so far, so good.” He urged allies “not to overreact but be firm enough, because the only thing Russia understands is power,” he told Bloomberg TV in an interview.

 

‘Too early’ 

Trump and Zelenskyy’s meeting on Tuesday came as Kyiv’s allies press Washington to both ratchet up economic pressure on Putin and seek backing for security guarantees to deter Russia from further aggression.

 

“We need more pressure and more sanctions,” Zelenskyy told Trump. He later described the meeting as good and constructive and said the US president was ready to provide security guarantees after the war. Trump told Zelenskyy that the discussion on security guarantees was for “later down the road” and it was “a little bit too early to answer that question.”

 

Officials in Europe and the US have deliberated on military plans to help secure Ukraine after the war but discussions around security guarantees remain largely theoretical, with the prospects for a ceasefire having chilled. 

 

Putin has shown no signs he is prepared to end his nearly four-year war on Ukraine, betting on military escalation as the best way to force Kyiv into talks on his terms, Bloomberg reported, citing people close to the Kremlin. The Russian leader will continue to target Kyiv’s energy network and civilian infrastructure, the people said, as he believes that Trump is unlikely to boost Kyiv’s defenses much.

 

More than two dozen European countries have pledged to provide Ukraine with security guarantees, including by sending troops. Trump has so far ruled out deploying troops to Ukraine but has floated other forms of a backstop, potentially including intelligence and air support. 

 

Russian energy 

Trump in recent weeks has shifted his pressure onto fellow European allies, demanding they end purchases of Russian energy if they want him to impose new direct measures on Moscow. The US president in the past has repeatedly said he is considering tougher penalties on Putin only to hold back even as the Russian leader blew past previous deadlines to reach a ceasefire with Ukraine.

 

While meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump said he has a good relationship with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Trump said he believed Orban would stop buying Russian oil. Hungary, a landlocked country, has been resistant to cutting off Russian oil imports, voicing concerns about the costs of shifting to alternative supplies.

 

In his UN address earlier Tuesday, Trump reiterated he was “fully prepared to impose a very strong round of powerful tariffs” if Russia was not ready to make a deal to end the war. But he added that European nations “would have to join us in adopting the exact same measures.”

 

“Everyone thought Russia would win this war in three days, but it didn’t work out that way. It was supposed to be just a quick little skirmish,” Trump said as Zelenskyy looked on from the audience. “It’s not making Russia look good, it’s making them look bad.”

 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, during her meeting with Trump on Tuesday, said the US president was “absolutely right” about stopping Russian energy imports, while noting that allied nations had already massively reduced gas purchases.

 

Asked about a 2027 timeline for the EU to phase out remaining Russian oil and gas imports, she indicated it was working to beat that deadline.