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World / Americas

Trump vows to defend Poland, Baltic states if Russia escalates

Published: 21 Sep 2025 - 07:03 pm | Last Updated: 21 Sep 2025 - 07:04 pm
US President Donald Trump stops to speak with reporters while walking to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House September 21, 2025, in Washington, DC. Trump is heading to Glendale, Arizona to attend the public memorial service for Charlie Kirk. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)

US President Donald Trump stops to speak with reporters while walking to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House September 21, 2025, in Washington, DC. Trump is heading to Glendale, Arizona to attend the public memorial service for Charlie Kirk. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)

AFP

Washington: 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 defense 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 incident Trump then sought to downplay.

"It could have been a mistake," Trump told journalists on September 11.