Nato nations should shoot down Russian jets breaching airspace, says Trump

UNITED NATIONS, United States: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday 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 said 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 President Vladimir Putin was ready to make peace despite recent Russian escalations.

“I´ll let you know in about a month from now, okay?” Trump said 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, added that he had “great respect for the fight that Ukraine is putting up. It´s pretty amazing actually.”