Trump says NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft that violate their airspace

By Kevin Liptak, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday he believes NATO member countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace as the defense alliance confronts the potential for an expansion of the war in Ukraine.

“Yes, I do,” Trump said when posed a question about NATO shoot-downs during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Recent incursions of Russian aircraft over Poland, Estonia and other nations have led to the first direct encounters between NATO and Moscow since the start of the Ukraine war, testing the alliance’s preparedness and credibility in deterring Russia’s aggression.

European leaders have voiced outrage and vowed to respond with force. But NATO’s leader said Tuesday that shooting down Russian aircraft should only proceed after an analysis of intent.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said shoot-downs should depend “on available intelligence regarding the threat posed by the aircraft, including questions we have to answer like intent, armaments and potential risk to allies, forces, civilians or infrastructure.”

“We will always assess the situation, assess the immediate threat the plane poses,” Rutte said. He was speaking after a meeting of NATO members requested by Estonia after Russian jets violated its airspace last week.

Trump, speaking a few hours later, appeared less cautious, offering no qualifiers about when or if NATO members should shoot down violating Russian aircraft. He also stopped short of saying the United States would join in the effort.

“Depends on the circumstance,” he said. “But you know, we’re very strong toward NATO.”

The president’s comments came hours after his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, indicated the US would not shoot down Russian jets that enter NATO airspace but said the alliance would continue to intercept them.

Rubio said he didn’t think NATO allies would shoot down Russian aircraft “unless they’re attacking.”

“I think what you have seen is NATO responding to those intrusions the way we respond to them all the time, and that is when enter your airspace or your defense zone, you go up and you intercept them,” Rubio said in an interview with CBS News on Tuesday.

NATO members have scrambled in recent weeks after Russian drones and aircraft violated their airspace. Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland without permission Friday. That came the week after several Russian drones and fighter jets entered Polish airspace, prompting a scramble of F-15 and F-35 fighter jets.

On Monday, two of Scandinavia’s busiest airports — Oslo, Norway, and Copenhagen, Denmark — were forced to close for several hours due to drone sightings, disrupting the travel plans of tens of thousands of people.

When asked about the incident Tuesday, Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said she “cannot reject in any way that it could be Russia” behind it.

Trump declined to pin blame on Russia when asked about the incident Tuesday.

“I have no response until I find out exactly what happened. I know about it but … they don’t know what happened. But we’re going to find out very soon,” he said.

European allies warned Monday during a fiery emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that they would shoot down Russian jets or drones involved in any further violations of NATO airspace.

The incursions have raised questions about how prepared Europe is to defend itself against Russian aggression. Trump has warned the continent it must do more to bolster its own security and has put the onus on other NATO members to provide funding for Ukraine’s military assistance.

Rutte on Tuesday said NATO was prepared to defend itself.

“We have all the defensive systems in place to make sure that we can defend every inch of allied territory,” he said. “That’s what we have shown both in the Polish case as well as in the Estonian case.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.

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