From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Trump says NATO countries should down Russian planes violating their airspace
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UNITED NATIONS — US President Donald Trump says that NATO nations should shoot down Russian planes violating their territory, as he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of a UN summit.
“Yes I do,” Trump says when a reporter asked if NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace.
His comments come after a series of recent incursions by Russian fighter jets and drones that have rattled Washington’s NATO allies in Europe.
The US president, meanwhile, once again deflected questions about whether he believed Russian leader Vladimir Putin was ready to make peace despite recent Russian escalations.
“I’ll let you know in about a month from now, okay?” Trump says when asked if he still trusted Putin, whom he met in a high-profile summit in Alaska in August.
The 79-year-old Republican has previously, and repeatedly, given deadlines of two weeks to make a decision on whether to take steps, including fresh sanctions against Russia.
Trump, who had a televised bust-up with Zelensky in the Oval Office in February, adds that he had “great respect for the fight that Ukraine is putting up. It’s pretty amazing, actually.”
Zelensky thanks Trump for his “personal efforts to stop this war” and echoed Trump’s call for European countries to stop buying Russian oil.
Tensions between Russia and Europe over Ukraine have escalated with the recent spate of aerial violations.
The Times of Israel Community.