Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) on Wednesday called Russia's drone incursion into Poland and by extension NATO airspace, "a thumb in the eye" for President Donald Trump and urged "a strong message back to Putin," sharpening criticism after Warsaw said its forces and allied jets shot down multiple Russian drones over Polish territory.
Elissa Slotkin Urges Tough Sanctions For ‘Toddler’ Putin
"Russia's incursion into Polish airspace is a thumb in the eye to President Trump, who just rolled out the red carpet for Putin this summer," Slotkin wrote on X.
In a CNN interview the same day, Slotkin tied the episode to what she cast as Trump's posture toward Moscow. "From Trump rolling out the red carpet for Putin… we know he wants to win the Nobel Prize for his work on bringing an end to a war there and in the Middle East… the data points since then are basically like a thumb in the eye to Trump."
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She added that Putin "is testing, like a toddler, the sort of NATO limits by sending drones over," and pressed for "a strong message back to Putin," including sanctions and a tougher allied air-defense posture.
Poland Downs Drones, Triggers NATO And U.N. Consultations
Poland said its armed forces intercepted and downed drones in its airspace early Wednesday, the first time a NATO member has engaged Russian assets directly since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. Warsaw requested alliance consultations and the U.N. Security Council set an emergency meeting as European capitals denounced the breach.
The incursion came days after Trump hosted Poland's president, Karol Nawrocki, at the White House, a meeting that reinforced defense ties amid regional tensions.
Trump's Muted Response To Russia’s Polish Incursion
Kyiv, meanwhile, has floated a plan to purchase roughly $150 billion in U.S. weapons, financed by Europe, in exchange for U.S. security guarantees after a peace deal, a proposal that highlights the stakes for NATO's eastern flank and defense industry.
Trump's initial reaction to the drone episode was muted. He suggested the breach "could have been a mistake," a stance that drew pushback in Europe.
Photo Courtesy: miss.cabul / Shutterstock.com
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