Decisions to engage aircraft violating airspace are based on individual threat assessment, Mark Rutte has said
NATO decides on a case-by-case basis whether to shoot down Russian aircraft it suspects of violating the military bloc’s airspace, Secretary General Mark Rutte revealed on Tuesday.
His remarks followed a bloc meeting to address claims that three Russian jets entered Estonian airspace last week. Moscow has denied the accusations, citing a lack of NATO evidence and confirmed Russian military data.
Rutte cited “a strong statement of solidarity and resolve” issued after the meeting and said Supreme Allied Commander in Europe Alexus Grynkewich “has the tools and authorities he needs to ensure our defense.”
Asked by a reporter whether NATO would “shoot [down] any manned or unmanned Russian aircraft which violates the alliance airspace,” Rutte replied, “The decisions on whether to engage intruding aircraft, such as firing upon them, are taken in real time and are always based on available intelligence regarding the threat posed by the aircraft.”
He claimed that during the alleged Estonian incident “NATO forces promptly intercepted and escorted the aircraft without escalation as no immediate threat was assessed.”
Earlier this month, Poland accused Russia of deliberately flying multiple unarmed drones into its airspace. Speaking on Monday at a United Nations Security Council gathering on the Estonian allegations, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Moscow should not “whine about” a possible takedown of its aircraft over Polish territory.
Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, stated that neither Poland nor Estonia had provided sufficient evidence to support their accusations, noting that the only damage in Poland during NATO’s response to the drone incident came from a Polish air-to-air missile that hit a house.
Polyansky accused European NATO members of fabricating the incidents with Russia to pressure the administration of US President Donald Trump into adopting a more confrontational policy toward Moscow.
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