Trump Vows to Defend the Baltic States and Poland if Tensions with Russia Escalate

Trump Vows to Defend the Baltic States and Poland if Tensions with Russia Escalate (State of the Union)

U.S. President Donald Trump warned that the United States would help defend Poland and the Baltic states from aggressive Russian military activities in the region during a brief interaction with reporters on the White House South Lawn.

Russian fighter jets violated NATO airspace in Estonia for 12 minutes on September 19, leading Estonia to invoke NATO Article 4, which NATO members can invoke when they believe their security is under threat.  Estonia also called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Earlier in September of this year, a total of 19 Russian drones reportedly violated Polish airspace, prompting Warsaw to take action. Several countries, including Lithuania, Estonia, and the Czech Republic, have urged NATO to implement a stronger response to these Russian provocations, including shooting down Russian jets that breach their borders. “We must respond appropriately, including possibly shooting down Russian aircraft,” commented Czech President Petr Pavel.

“What has happened in recent days in Poland and Estonia, and what has been happening in Ukraine for four years now, concerns us all. If we don't stick together, sooner or later it will happen to us too," Pavel added.

Former president of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves also expressed concern about NATO’s delayed reaction: ”To be cynical about it, I think we need a mass casualty as a price before the member states are forced to actually take this seriously.We see rather all talk but no action, from the US leadership, who periodically says they will make a decision in two weeks, but nothing ever happens. In fact, what we’ve seen is that the deliveries of weapons to Ukraine have cut off.”