The incident represented the most serious spillover of the war in Ukraine for NATO, as its aircraft engaged the drones that it said came from Russia.

This situation brings us the closest we have been to open conflict since World War II," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.

Poland's military said it shot down Russian drones that violated its airspace while they were attacking Ukraine on Sept. 10, 2025. Polish soldiers walk below as firefighters work on the destroyed roof of a house,

The response from the U.S. came hours after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the country’s airspace was “violated by a huge number of Russian drones” on Tuesday night and any drones that “posed a direct threat” were shot down. The incident marked the first time a NATO member has opened fire during the Ukraine war.

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk pledged Thursday to push ahead with a “great modernization program” for his country’s military, a day after Russian drones crossed into Poland and amplified international tensions around Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including what the Kremlin’s future territorial ambitions might be.

"We are dealing with a direct technological race in which the advantage will go to those who not only modernize but also stay ahead," Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

On Friday, Russia and Belarus are set to begin their joint military exercises. Poland announced earlier this week that it will shut down its border with Belarus during the Zapad-2025 drills, calling them “very aggressive”.

Vladimir Putin's response to Donald Trump's peace efforts has been a clear escalation in Russian attacks. But they don't only target the Ukrainian capital. In the eastern Donbas region, more than 20 civilians were killed by a Russian glide bomb on Tuesday as they queued to collect their pensions.