President Donald Trump reacted Wednesday with a degree of bemusement toward Russia’s drone incursion into Poland, a NATO member that Trump has previously vowed to defend amid heightened tensions with Moscow.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called Russia's behavior "reckless" after several drones from the country crossed into Poland, violating NATO airspace.

NATO surveillance planes and jet fighters are regularly deployed above Poland when large attacks on Ukraine threaten to spill over into allied territory, but the direct engagement marked a significant escalation in the game of cat-and-mouse between Russian drones entering alliance airspace and NATO aircraft sent to deter them.

Russian drones and missiles have frequently breached NATO airspace in the past. Indeed, Ukrainian officials have complained that their allies have chosen to turn a blind eye to previous incursions. In late August a Shahed drone crashed in a cornfield in eastern Poland,

Poland shot down suspected Russian drones in its airspace on Wednesday with the backing of aircraft from its NATO allies, the first time a member of the Western military alliance is known to have fired shots during Russia's war in Ukraine.

Moscow denies responsibility for drones that entered Polish territory, claiming no evidence of Russian origin despite Ukrainian president's contradicting assessment.

Multiple Russian drones crossed into Poland in what European officials described Wednesday as a deliberate provocation, causing NATO to send fighter jets to shoot them down. A NATO spokesman said it was the first time the alliance confronted a potential threat in its airspace.

Whether the drone incursion was deliberate or accidental, Moscow will be watching Nato's response to it closely.

Poland accused Russia of violating its airspace 19 times overnight, during its bombardment of neighboring Ukraine. Moscow denies the drones are Russian.

"Therefore it is vital that we use this window of opportunity that we have while Russia is bogged down in Ukraine to strengthen NATO's northern flank," Sweden's defense minister Pal Jonson said.