The United Kingdom (UK) foreign minister warned on Monday that Russian incursions into NATO territory risk the outbreak of armed conflict, thereby provoking condemnation from Moscow, which dismissed European concerns as unfounded and hysterical.
Clashing with Russia at a meeting of the United Nations (UN)Security Council, UK foreign minister Yvette Cooper said: “Your reckless actions risk a direct conflict between NATO and Russia. Our alliance is defensive, but do not be under the illusion that we are not ready to defend the sky and territory of the NATO alliance.”
“If we must confront aircraft that are in NATO airspace without permission, then we will do so,” she said.
Estonia said on Friday that three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets had just entered Estonian airspace without permission and remained there a total of 12 minutes before being forced to withdraw, in an episode that Western officials describe as a test of NATO’s readiness and determination.
The Security Council met on Monday to discuss this issue. NATO consultations are to take place on Tuesday. The incident occurred just over a week after 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, forcing NATO aircraft to shoot some of them down.
Cooper’s comments were supported by some other Western ministers in the Security Council, who said that several incidents could not be considered a coincidence.
The deputy Russian ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, said that there was no evidence to support their claims and accused European powers of making “unfounded” accusations.
“We will not participate in this theater of the absurd,” he said. “When you decide that you want to engage in a serious discussion about European security, about the fate of our common continent, about how to make this continent prosperous and safe for all, we are ready.”
