NATO on Tuesday warned Russia that it would use "all necessary military and non-military tools" to defend its members, condemning Moscow for violating Estonian airspace in what it described as a “pattern of increasingly irresponsible behaviour.”
The warning followed Estonia’s report that three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered its airspace for 12 minutes last Friday before being escorted out by NATO Italian jets. The week prior, roughly 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, prompting NATO jets to shoot some down and leading the alliance to strengthen its eastern European defenses.
U.S. President Donald Trump signalled support for a firm NATO response during remarks to reporters at the United Nations General Assembly.
Asked whether NATO should shoot down Russian aircraft entering its airspace, he replied, “Yes, I do.”
The NATO statement came after a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, comprised of ambassadors from its 32 member countries, called after Estonia invoked Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty.
Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth spoke with Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur on Tuesday, assuring him that Washington “stands with all NATO allies and that any incursion into NATO airspace is unacceptable.”
Hegseth also praised the rapid response of European air defenses and said the U.S. is closely monitoring the situation.
NATO commanders retain authority
“Russia bears full responsibility for these actions, which are escalatory, risk miscalculation, and endanger lives. They must stop,” the council said.
“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. We will continue to respond in the manner, timing, and domain of our choosing.”
While recent incidents have prompted some European voices to call for shooting down manned Russian fighters that enter NATO airspace, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius cautioned against hasty action.
“Reckless demands to shoot something out of the sky or to send a specific message of strength do not help in this situation. We need to be calm, clear, and prudent—and act appropriately,” he said in Berlin.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte noted that the Russian jets over Estonia had not been intercepted because they were not assessed as an immediate threat, but stressed that commanders have the authority to act if intruding aircraft pose danger.
Defensive but vigilant
NATO’s Article 4 obliges allies to consult whenever a member’s territorial integrity, political independence, or security is threatened. This was only the ninth time in NATO’s 76-year history that Article 4 has been invoked, and the second this month in response to incidents over Poland and Estonia.
Rutte emphasised that NATO is “a defensive alliance, yes, but we are not naive. We see what is happening. If it is not intentional, then it is blatantly incompetent. Even if it is incompetence, we still have to defend ourselves.”
Russia denied Estonia’s claims and accused Tallinn of escalating East-West tensions. Regarding the Polish drone incident, Moscow said the drones were targeting military facilities in western Ukraine and had not intended to enter Polish territory.
NATO reaffirmed that its members will continue supporting Ukraine in exercising its right to self-defense against Russia’s “brutal and unprovoked war of aggression.”
Russia has denied that its planes had entered NATO airspace.
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The resolution, sponsored by African countries and led by Togo, passed by 164 votes to one, with six abstentions. The United States was the only country to vote against it.
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