European diplomats warned the Kremlin that they are ready to respond to further violations of their airspace and shoot down Russian planes, reported Bloomberg citing sources.
During a "tense meeting" in Moscow, representatives of the UK, France, and Germany expressed their concerns about the intrusion of three MiG-31 fighters into Estonia last week, the agency writes.
Russian officials deny that their planes invaded Estonian airspace, stating that drones in Poland were the result of an error. During the negotiations, a Russian diplomat told Europeans that the invasions were a response to Ukrainian attacks on Crimea, officials reported. The Kremlin stated that these operations would be impossible without NATO support, and as a result, Russia considers itself already engaged in confrontation with European countries.
A representative of the German government confirmed that the meeting took place. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated on Thursday that he is coordinating his actions with Paris, London, and Warsaw and supports "all necessary measures".
Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which provides for consultations in the event of a threat, has been invoked only nine times since the alliance's founding in 1949, with two instances this month following the invasions of Poland and Estonia. On Wednesday, Danish authorities stated they might act similarly as they investigate possible Russian involvement in drone attacks that disrupted air traffic, although the Kremlin again denies its involvement.
This sudden surge aligns with the view of some security service representatives that Moscow's aggressive actions, whose war against Ukraine has been ongoing for four years, are unlikely to take the form of a conventional attack on the West but will represent a hybrid operation with deliberate ambiguity regarding its sources and motives.
"Russia is testing us, testing our readiness, testing our resolve to respond," said Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda in an interview on Monday in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. "I believe it is very important to demonstrate solidarity, and even more important—a quick response."
Trump supported NATO leaders, including Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who strongly called for shooting down Russian planes, while German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that NATO allies risk falling into Putin's "escalation trap" if they shoot at Russian planes.
"If NATO shoots down a Russian plane under the pretext of an alleged violation of its airspace, it will be war," said Russian Ambassador Alexey Meshkov on Thursday on the French radio station RTL.