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U.S. President Donald Trump pledged Sunday to defend Poland and the Baltic states against Russian aggression, responding to a series of recent airspace violations that have heightened tensions in Eastern Europe.
"Yeah, I would," Trump told reporters when asked whether the United States would help defend Poland and Baltic countries if Moscow continues escalating regional tensions. The president made the commitment before departing for a memorial service in Glendale, Arizona, for assassinated conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk.
Trump's assurance comes as NATO allies grapple with what they describe as increasingly provocative Russian military actions along the alliance's eastern flank. The most recent incident occurred Friday when three suspected Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland without authorization for 12 minutes.
Estonia summoned Russia's charge d'affaires over the incident and requested NATO Article 4 consultations, though Russia denied entering Estonian airspace. When asked if he had been briefed on the Russian violations of Estonian airspace, Trump responded: "Yeah, we don't like it."
The United States "strongly" condemned the incident on Saturday, voicing support for its NATO ally. "We strongly condemn Russia's violation of Estonia's airspace. We stand firmly with our Estonian Allies and will resolutely defend all NATO territory," the US Mission to NATO said.
Poland reported a separate incident the same day, with two Russian fighter jets allegedly violating the safety zone around the Petrobaltic drilling platform in the Baltic Sea. Earlier in September, 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, though Russia claimed the incursion was not deliberate.
The escalating tensions come as the United States continues to bolster Poland's defense capabilities through significant arms sales. On Thursday, the US State Department approved the possible sale of Javelin missile systems and related logistics support to Poland, with an estimated cost of $780 million.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the sale would "improve Poland's capability to meet current and future threats by upgrading its existing legacy Command Launch Units and increasing its defense inventory, thereby reinforcing its capability to protect Polish sovereign territory and improving its ability to meet NATO requirements."
In August, the State Department approved another major defense package for Poland, authorizing the potential sale of sustainment and logistics support for F-35 fighter jets valued at $1.85 billion.
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