European allies warned they’d shoot down Russian jets or drones concerned in any additional violations of NATO airspace throughout a fiery emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday.
Estonia, a NATO member, requested the meeting after three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered its airspace over the Gulf of Finland with out permission on Friday.
At the meeting, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper mentioned Moscow was risking “a direct armed confrontation between NATO and Russia.”
“Our alliance is defensive, but be under no illusion … if we need to confront planes that are operating in NATO airspace without permission, then we will do so,” she mentioned.
And in what was his first look as the brand new US ambassador to the UN, Michael Waltz instructed the Security Council that the United States and its allies “will defend every inch of NATO territory.”
Addressing the Russian delegation immediately, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski mentioned: “We know you don’t care for international law and you are incapable of living in peace with your neighbors.”
“Your insane nationalism contains a lust for domination that will not cease until you realize that the age of empires is over and that your empire will not be rebuilt. Every drone strike by the heroes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – may God bless them – brings this day closer,” he added.
He ended his handle with a stark vow.
“If another missile or aircraft enters our space without permission – deliberately or ‘by mistake’ – and gets shot down, and the wreckage falls on NATO territory, please don’t come here to whine about it. You have been warned. Thank you,” Sikorski mentioned.
Estonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna instructed the meeting the “international community must stand firm in demanding the end to these blatant breaches of the UN Charter in order to prevent further escalation.”
“Russia’s threats and provocations are not going to weaken our resolve to support Ukraine,” he added.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s high diplomat and the previous prime minister of Estonia, mentioned she believed the incident was a “deliberate provocation.”
“Russia is testing European borders and undermining security,” she mentioned.
The Russian Defense Ministry has denied its jets entered Estonian airspace, insisting the flights had been performed “in strict accordance with international rules.” That denial was repeated on Monday by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who mentioned the accusations had been escalating tensions.
Speaking at the Security Council meeting on Monday, Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy doubled down on the denial and claimed the plane remained in worldwide airspace. He accused Europe of “spreading blatant lies.”
But responding to that declare, Estonia’s Tsahkna introduced the council with maps and radar recordings exhibiting the jets crossing into Estonia’s airspace.
He additionally confirmed the meeting images of the Russian jets, pointing to the truth that they had been “combat ready” and armed with missiles.
The jets remained for 12 minutes earlier than being intercepted by NATO, he added.
Following the airspace violation, Estonia additionally has requested NATO Article 4 consultations, the mechanism which permits any member to formally carry a problem to the eye to the alliance’s precept political decision-making physique.
A supply accustomed to the state of affairs instructed NCS the meeting of NATO’s North Atlantic Council will convene on Tuesday morning.
Estonia is the second NATO member to have requested Article 4 consultations in latest days, following Poland’s request final week after a number of Russian drones and fighter jets entered its airspace.
Separately, Swedish and German forces reported on Sunday that Swedish JAS 39 Gripens and German Eurofighters had been scrambled over the South Baltic Sea to establish and monitor a Russian IL-20 reconnaissance plane flying in worldwide airspace with out a flight plan or radio contact.