Britain’s Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper warned Russia that NATO’s “combined strength is unparalleled”, that “reckless” aerial provocations should end, and that British jets can “confront” Russian aircraft that in NATO airspace.
The United Nations Security Council sat for what it said was the 10,002nd time on Monday, ahead of a greater gathering for the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, for an extraordinary meeting called by Estonia to discuss “threats to international peace and security”. The meeting was called in response to the incursion by fast jets of the Russian Federation — a permanent member of the Security Council, of course — into Estonian airspace, a NATO member, last week.
The British delegation, led by newly installed Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper was among the most forthright, with a warning on NATO power issued and a threat that in future the British armed forces could get directly involved if Russian jets found their way into alliance airspace.
Cooper denounced Russia for having flown three MiG-31 fighters — a high speed interceptor that can be nuclear armed — in Estonian airspace for 12 minutes last week, stating: “At best, these latest acts are dangerous and reckless. At worst, they are a deliberate attempt to undermine the territorial integrity of sovereign nations and European security.”
These actions “risk miscalculation” and “open the door” to direct conflict between Russia and the West, she said, warning Moscow that: “NATO’s combined strength is unparalleled and its determination to defend peace and security is unshakable. Of this, Russia must be of no doubt”.
Speaking for the United Kingdom itself, Cooper hailed its contribution to the new NATO Eastern European air policing mission Eastern Sentry and said its Royal Air Force jets would be active participants. Cooper told Putin: “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. The United Kingdom stands by our friends.”
Others to speak include a United Nations official from its Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations offices who admonished Russia, stating: “This series of recent incidents further underscore the already-high tensions that endanger European security as the war continues to rage in Ukraine… Violations of sovereign countries’ airspace are unacceptable”.
The Danes called the Estonian incursion “reckless and dangerous” and told Russia to “step back”. France said the Russian jets left no doubt about Russia’s intentions, that three Russian jets in NATO airspace was unprecedented “in over 20 years”, and said Moscow is “choosing escalation”.
Poland’s Radek Sikorski, who was perhaps been the most outspoken of non-Ukrainian European leaders on Russia of late, challenged the Russian version of events which had claimed an accident, asking if that were true why had Russia not quickly admitted to the error and apologised.
He called them a new escalation of Russia’s undeclared hybrid war against the West and said, in a blistering lecture directly at the Russian envoy present: “To the representatives of Russia, I have this to say: we know you don’t care for international law, and you are incapable of living in peace with your neighbours. Your insane nationalism contains a lust for domination.”
Laying down his own warning, Sikorski said: “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.”
Russia’s response was also blunt. Accusing Europe of having given up on the enlightenment values in favour of “Rupophobia” and “primitive hatred” for Russians, their delegate also said European people were being propagandised into believing war with Moscow had already become inevitable. This is based on “blatant lies”, “imaginations run wild”, and “paranoia”, he said.
The claims of Russian drones in Poland and jets over Estonia are presented without evidence, the Russian claimed — this Moscow narrative is heavily disputed by NATO — and said that shadowy efforts were underway to “pull Poland into the war” against Russia.
Europe blames Russia for everything, he claimed, decrying a “theatre of the absurd” and alleging that Russia is available for talks whenever others want to have them. “You know where to find us”, he said.
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