WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that NATO countries should shoot down Russian military aircraft if they violate NATO airspace, escalating his administration’s rhetoric toward Moscow amid renewed regional tensions.
"Yes, I do," Trump said when asked by reporters if he supports such military action. He added that whether the US would back it militarily “depends on the circumstance,” as he prepared for a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The comments come as NATO faces mounting pressure to respond to recent airspace violations. Poland and Estonia reported separate incidents involving Russian drones and fighter jets earlier this month, prompting NATO to warn Russia it would use “all means” to defend allied territory.
Airspace breaches
The Kremlin has denied deliberate incursions, but NATO officials say the pattern of violations is increasingly aggressive. The alliance has bolstered its air defenses in Eastern Europe and reiterated its Article 5 commitment, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all.
Trump’s approval of potential shootdowns could mark a significant policy shift, signaling a more confrontational stance by the US in defending NATO airspace.
Trump slams UN
Earlier, during an opening session of the 80th UN General Assembly, Trump criticized the global body for being ineffective in resolving global conflicts.
“I ended seven wars… and never even received a phone call from the United Nations offering to help,” Trump said. “All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that, on the way up, stopped right in the middle… and a teleprompter that didn’t work.”
He claimed his administration helped end conflicts between Kosovo and Serbia, Pakistan and India, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and others through direct US diplomacy, without any UN involvement. Trump listed Cambodia and Thailand, Congo and Rwanda, Israel and Iran, and Egypt and Ethiopia among conflicts he claimed to have defused.
“Empty words don’t solve war,” he said. “The only thing that solves wars is action.”
Trump also pointed to the Abraham Accords, normalization deals between Israel and several Arab states brokered during his presidency, as examples of US leadership in global peace efforts, claiming the UN gave him "no credit" for the historic achievement.
Trump on Ukraine
In a notable policy shift, Trump said he now believes Ukraine can retake all of the territory lost to Russia since the 2022 invasion, if it receives sustained support from Europe and NATO.
"With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original borders from where this war started is very much an option," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
He added that Russia has been fighting "aimlessly" in a war that a "real military power" would have won in less than a week, describing the Russian military effort as ineffective and faltering.
"Paper tiger"
Trump went further, describing Russia as a “paper tiger” and warning that internal unrest could grow as citizens in Moscow and elsewhere come to grips with the war’s cost.
"When the people living in Moscow... find out what is really going on with this war... Ukraine would be able to take back their country in its original form, and who knows, maybe even go further than that!" he wrote.
Support for NATO
While stopping short of promising direct US military involvement in Ukraine, Trump reaffirmed America's commitment to arming NATO allies.
“We will continue to supply weapons to NATO for NATO to do what they want with them. Good luck to all,” he concluded in his post.
Trump’s remarks are expected to spark renewed debate among US lawmakers and NATO allies about the West’s strategy toward Russia, and how far the US is willing to go in defending Eastern Europe from further aggression.
Additional inputs from AP
