Drones Against Democracy: A Challenge To NATO And Its Members

Articles four and five of the North Atlantic Treaty have been on every European leader’s lips this past week, as Russian drones were brought down while invading Polish airspace on Wednesday, September 10^th. Although not the first ‘coincidence’ of this kind, the scale of the invasion, around 20 drones, was robust enough to compel Polish leaders to hold a security council to discuss the violations made by Russia. Poland has dealt with multiple missiles traveling through its airspace in 2022 and again in March of 2025; both times resulting in an enraged Polish Defence Ministry, but yet no real consequences for the effects of Russian aggression. These drones made their incursion from the Belarusian border and were swiftly met by Polish opposition and other NATO air service members. Thankfully, from Germany, Denmark, and France, NATO members have pledged encouraging support for the territorial integrity of Poland, but there has been an interestingly muted tone from Washington. Russian advances are certain to continue if they are met with soft responses that are severely lacking in decisive action. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is certain to take this matter seriously, as the country is not naïve to its eastern neighbours' past of encroaching on Poland’s authority.

Not only has this sparked outrage among the governments of Poland and the Baltics, but it has also emphasised the real threat to other countries such as Romania, which has seen an increasing number of drones crash in its airspace, following Russian assaults on Ukraine. It should be apparent to everyone that the continued abuse of the international order by Russia is not monolithic in any capacity if we look at the past 100 years. Having spoken with Eastern European friends and experts, I believe the feeling of a genuine existential crisis for the region is growing stronger, given the Soviet past that many states have endured. Prime Minister Tusk was quoted in response to the drones as saying that conflict was “closer than at any time since World War II.” Unfortunately, due to Donald Trump’s inexcusable foreign policy, Europe seems once again conflicted or perhaps confused on the best path forward. Although Joe Biden was not the perfect leader of foreign policy, I would strongly argue that through his leadership, NATO and the EU rallied cohesively behind Ukraine, forming a stronger bulwark against Russian advancement. Trump has effectively allowed his skepticism to extend across the pond, leaving European leaders to reassess their own defence capabilities. I’m quite sure that we’ll see massive European defence contracts coming from larger EU states in this eroding transatlantic partnership.

The trajectory of the transatlantic relationship between the United States and Europe seemed to be moving upward as the invasion of Ukraine catalysed support among many major European Union leaders. The Trump school of foreign policy is doing us the immense favor of displaying how to exacerbate an already volatile situation. I cannot believe the words that leave the president’s mouth; his Truth Social post “letter to allies” is unprofessional, ineffective, and truly (forgive the metaphor) poking the bear when it isn’t necessary. The primacy of the United States has long defined the world order, but as Trump ceaselessly rages against allies, confusingly sides with autocrats, and maintains political pressure to destabilise the United States, the power and prosperity of the United States will drastically change. Effectively telling allies to completely cease the purchase of Russian oil is certainly not a simple fix, with EU partners such as Hungary, Slovakia, and Türkiye maintaining the dire necessity of petrol for their state economies. I think Trump would be hard-pressed to reach out to these states and their corresponding leaders to halt all Russian oil purchases, especially following the Druzhba pipeline and Ankara’s need for discounted crude oil.

The rampant confusion caused by the Trump administration has worried and perplexed defence leaders in the Baltic countries, as many argue that the lack of unity will ultimately weaken NATO’s credibility. The hypocrisy of removing necessary NATO defence spending and instead allocating the resources to narcotic reconnaissance in the southern hemisphere is damaging the credibility of the United States' foreign policy, and will continue to encourage Vladimir Putin to push his luck in mobilising troops in Belarus and “losing” drones over international airspace. I think Eastern Europe must be heard in this conversation, as they once again sit on the border between authoritarianism and democracy. It begs the question: how can Europe defend itself without the United States? The Center for European Policy Analysis posits that it will take massive strides by heavy hitters like Poland and Germany to fill mobilisation numbers. Following Wednesday’s events and the response by Trump, I would say that Poland will optimistically rise to the call here, as they have been staunch supporters of Zelensky and Ukraine during the Russian aggression. Germany may be so inclined to meet the call as well under the leadership of Merz, as he has already begun to increase defence spending in his first months of office. While the politics of conservative Germany have been somewhat turbulent over the past year, I must think that Germany will stand firmly as well, in hopes of continuing the alignment against Russia. 

I would encourage the European Union to maintain its utmost effort to uphold an independent Ukraine, because it will certainly not stop there. Trump continues to make light of the War in Ukraine and has even gone so far as to place blame on almost every person except for Vladimir Putin.  The idea of commitment to NATO being placed on the plate of Europe pedagogically is laughable, coming from an administration that is withholding resources intentionally to force Europe into an American agenda. This is not sound foreign policy, and moreover statistics show that global cooperation and unity can be effective in combating authoritarianism. Trump’s obsession with his deal-making is downright nonsensical. This is the death throes of American primacy, and we can all give a huge hand to Donald Trump for accomplishing this. The European Union would do well to look deeper into the United States to see that the administration does not represent the entire population. There are still a great many who hope to see Europe at peace and feel real sorrow for those lost in the violence of Putin’s War in Ukraine. Do NOT help Donald Trump legitimise his weak attempts at foreign policy; his intentions are, as usual, nefarious, and to deal with him will certainly bring Putin closer to your doorstep.

Illustrations: Will Allen/Europinion