September 12, 2025
Drones over Poland with Doug Lute and Kurt Volker
In the early hours of September 10th, Polish authorities detected 19 Russian drones over Polish airspace. This incident represents a major escalation, with Poland triggering Article 4 of the NATO Treaty. At a minimum, this was an attempt by Russia to get European nations to back down from their support for Ukraine and to expose the Alliance as a paper tiger. The attack also provided the Kremlin with key insights into Poland and NATO's air defenses and its chain of response. So how do we understand what happened and what needs to happen?
To answer those very hard questions, we're very fortunate to have Doug Lute and Kurt Volker with us.
Ambassador (Ret.) Douglas Lute served as the United States Ambassador to NATO from 2013–2017.
Ambassador (Ret.) Kurt Volker served as the United States Ambassador to NATO from 2008–2009 and as the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations from 2017–2019.
More from CNAS
-
Rising Domestic Pressure in Russia?
Over the last several weeks, strain within Russia's domestic political system has become increasingly apparent. The Kremlin has intensified digital controls, intermittently di...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
Charles on a Mission: Can King’s State Visit Salvage U.S.-UK Ties?
Call it the royal trump card: King Charles III has been dispatched to Washington on a state visit at the lowest point in the "special relationship" in at least seven decades. ...
By Jim Townsend
-
Transatlantic Adaptation: A More European NATO?
Doubts about U.S. reliability and the future of NATO are top of mind for most in the transatlantic community. The concerns that spiked after President Donald Trump’s threats t...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
U.S. Security Analysts Expect ‘More Europe and Less U.S. in NATO’
The Pentagon's top policy advisor has listed several possible ways the US could punish its NATO partners for refusing to join President Trump's war in Iran. Washington is repo...
By Jim Townsend