KEY POINTS
- NATO warns Russia to stop “escalatory” airspace violations over eastern members.
- Estonia triggered Article 4 talks after Russian jets allegedly breached its airspace.
- NATO vows to defend allies using “all necessary tools” and calls commitment “ironclad.”
- Kremlin rejects airspace violation claims as “unfounded” and “not taken seriously.”
- NATO chief Mark Rutte says response to Russian aircraft will depend on threat assessment.
- Alliance pledges support for Ukraine and strengthens eastern flank defences.
BRUSSELS: NATO on Tuesday warned Russia to stop an “escalatory” pattern of airspace violations along its eastern flank, after the alliance held urgent talks about a jet incursion over Estonia last week.
“Russia bears full responsibility for these actions, which are escalatory, risk miscalculation and endanger lives. They must stop,” NATO’s 32 member states said in a statement.
“Russia should be in no doubt: NATO and allies will employ, in accordance with international law, all necessary military and non-military tools to defend ourselves and deter all threats from all directions.”
It added that NATO would “continue to respond in the manner, timing, and domain of our choosing” and that the alliance’s commitment to its collective defence pact remained “ironclad”.
Estonia convened emergency consultations under Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty after Russian fighter jets allegedly violated its airspace for some 12 minutes on Friday.
That incident — which saw NATO scramble jets — came just over a week after the alliance shot down Russian drones over Poland and led Warsaw to demand similar talks.
Russia rejects allegations as ‘unfounded’
Meanwhile, commenting on Denmark and Norway’s claims about alleged Russian drones in their airspace, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that an “endless series of unfounded accusations” from Western countries has led to a situation where they are no longer regarded seriously.
“Frankly speaking, since they are coming up with baseless accusations repeatedly, we have ceased taking such claims seriously. Probably because the statements that we are hearing from them turn out to be without basis every time,” Peskov said as quoted by TASS news agency.
“It seems to me that a country with a serious and responsible approach should not put forward unsubstantiated accusations again and again,” the Kremlin spokesperson added.
NATO chief Mark Rutte said alliance forces would decide whether to fire upon Russian aircraft breaching its airspace “based on available intelligence regarding the threat posed by the aircraft.”
Rutte said that “in Estonia, NATO forces promptly intercepted and escorted the aircraft without escalation, as no immediate threat was assessed”.
“Our message to the Russians is clear, we will defend every inch of allied territory,” he said.
In response to the drone intrusion in Poland, NATO announced it was bolstering its eastern defences to help to counter the threat from Moscow.
‘Allies won’t be deterred’
Besides Poland and Romania, other eastern flank countries including Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Finland have alleged recent violations of their airspace.
Rutte said it was “too early to say” if the drones over Copenhagen that disrupted flights overnight were linked to Russia.
The spike in tensions has spurred fears that the Russia-Ukraine war could spill across NATO’s border.
In their statement, the NATO countries vowed that “allies will not be deterred by these and other irresponsible acts by Russia from their enduring commitments to support Ukraine”.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is prepared to respond to any strategic threats “not with words but with military and technological measures.”
Putin said that Russia is confident in the “reliability and effectiveness” of its deterrent forces, TASS reported. He said that Russia “is not interested in further escalating tensions or fueling an arms race.”
Under NATO’s Article 4, any member can call emergency discussions when it feels its “territorial integrity, political independence or security” are at risk.
Tuesday’s talks were the third time Article 4 has been invoked since the Russia-Ukraine war started in 2022, and the ninth time it has been triggered in the alliance’s 76-year history.
NATO’s collective security is based on its Article 5 principle: if one member is attacked, the entire alliance comes to its defence.
That article has only been invoked once in the history of NATO, following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
