"Their reckless actions could lead to a direct armed conflict between NATO and Russia. Our alliance is defensive, but make no mistake, we are prepared to defend NATO airspace and territory,“ she told Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy.
”If we have to confront aircraft operating without permission in NATO space, we will do so," she added.
The new US ambassador, Mike Waltz, also did not mince his words. “The United States and its allies will defend every inch of NATO territory,” said the former national security adviser.
Former Estonian Prime Minister and EU Foreign Affairs Representative Kaja Kallas also contributed to the strong statements. “Russia is testing European borders and undermining their security,” she said, adding that “it is no coincidence that Russia has violated European airspace three times in two weeks.”
“Russia will provoke as long as it can,” she warned.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha suggested that the alliance should use military force in response to these incidents. “A strong response means that the threat should not be ignored for 12 minutes or even one minute. It should be neutralized,” he said.
Moscow rejects the accusations and demands evidence
Poljanski responded to the British minister's remarks by stating that there was no evidence to support the West's claims and dismissing the allegations as “baseless.” “We will not participate in this absurd theater,” he said.
"Our neighbors are now convinced that Russia is responsible for violating Estonian airspace. As always, there is no evidence except for the Russophobic hysteria from Tallinn, which our Estonian colleagues are vividly demonstrating to us today. Meanwhile, the facts indicate that on September 19, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets carried out a planned flight from Karelia to the airport in the Kaliningrad region, which was conducted in strict accordance with international airspace regulations," emphasized the diplomat.
“If you decide to have a serious discussion about security in Europe, about the fate of our common continent and how we can make this continent prosperous and safe for everyone, we are ready for that,” he added diplomatically.
He thus reinforced the earlier statement by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who had also pointed out the lack of evidence on Tallinn's part.
“The Estonian statement does not indicate whether they have objective surveillance data” to back up their claims, the press secretary said.
“Therefore, we consider such statements to be empty, unfounded, and a continuation of the completely reckless pattern of escalating tensions and creating a confrontational atmosphere,” he added.
Peskov, who pointed out that the Russian Defense Ministry had categorically rejected the Estonian allegations, added that Russian pilots had always acted in accordance with international law.
(reuters, sab)
