European allies warn they will shoot down Russian jets or drones that violate NATO airspace

By Ivana Kottasová, Nina Subkhanberdina, CNN

European allies warned they would shoot down Russian jets or drones involved in any further violations of NATO airspace during a fiery emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday.

Estonia, a NATO member, requested the meeting after three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered its airspace over the Gulf of Finland without permission on Friday.

At the meeting, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Moscow was risking “a direct armed confrontation between NATO and Russia.”

“Our alliance is defensive, but be under no illusion … if we need to confront planes that are operating in NATO airspace without permission, then we will do so,” she said.

And in what was his first appearance as the new US ambassador to the UN, Michael Waltz told the Security Council that the United States and its allies “will defend every inch of NATO territory.”

In a statement Tuesday, NATO strongly condemned “Russia’s dangerous violation of Estonian airspace,” adding that it is “part of a wider pattern of increasingly irresponsible Russian behavior.”

“Russia bears full responsibility for these actions, which are escalatory, risk miscalculation and endanger lives. They must stop,” the statement said.

Addressing the Russian delegation directly, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski said: “We know you don’t care for international law and you are incapable of living in peace with your neighbors.”

“Your insane nationalism contains a lust for domination that will not cease until you realize that the age of empires is over and that your empire will not be rebuilt. Every drone strike by the heroes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – may God bless them – brings this day closer,” he added.

He ended his address with a stark vow.

“If another missile or aircraft enters our space without permission – deliberately or ‘by mistake’ – and gets shot down, and the wreckage falls on NATO territory, please don’t come here to whine about it. You have been warned. Thank you,” Sikorski said.

Estonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna told the meeting the “international community must stand firm in demanding the end to these blatant breaches of the UN Charter in order to prevent further escalation.”

“Russia’s threats and provocations are not going to weaken our resolve to support Ukraine,” he added.

Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat and the former prime minister of Estonia, said she believed the incident was a “deliberate provocation.”

“Russia is testing European borders and undermining security,” she said.

12 minutes of airspace violation

The Russian Defense Ministry has denied its jets entered Estonian airspace, insisting the flights were conducted “in strict accordance with international rules.” That denial was repeated on Monday by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said the accusations were escalating tensions.

Speaking at the Security Council meeting on Monday, Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy doubled down on the denial and claimed the aircraft remained in international airspace. He accused Europe of “spreading blatant lies.”

But responding to that claim, Estonia’s Tsahkna presented the council with maps and radar recordings showing the jets crossing into Estonia’s airspace.

He also showed the meeting photographs of the Russian jets, pointing to the fact that they were “combat ready” and armed with missiles.

The jets remained for 12 minutes before being intercepted by NATO, he added.

Following the airspace violation, Estonia also has requested NATO Article 4 consultations, the mechanism which allows any member to formally bring an issue to the attention to the alliance’s principle political decision-making body.

A source familiar with the situation told CNN the meeting of NATO’s North Atlantic Council will convene on Tuesday morning.

Estonia is the second NATO member to have requested Article 4 consultations in recent days, following Poland’s request last week after several Russian drones and fighter jets entered its airspace.

Separately, Swedish and German forces reported on Sunday that Swedish JAS 39 Gripens and German Eurofighters were scrambled over the South Baltic Sea to identify and monitor a Russian IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft flying in international airspace without a flight plan or radio contact.

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CNN’s Jennifer Hansler and Lauren Kent contributed reporting.