The swarm of nearly 20 drones across Polish borders last week triggered deep anxiety among NATO members who, for the first time since the start of the war in Ukraine, fired on a Russian target violating the alliance's airspace. Just as worrisome, said European diplomats, has been U.S. President Donald Trump's refusal so far to publicly hold Moscow accountable for Wednesday's incident, coupled with the lack of U.S. participation in fending it off.
Many alliance members already question Trump's commitment to their defense in the event of an actual Russian attack.
Trump’s muted response was widely seen as another example of his "America First” push for European allies to take more responsibility for their own security and shoulder the cost of helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia. But some analysts said Trump also could be wary of antagonizing Russian President Vladimir Putin, who they say may be testing both NATO’s military capabilities and U.S. resolve more than three and a half years after Moscow invaded Ukraine.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.