BRUSSELS: NATO has issued a direct warning to Russia demanding an immediate halt to airspace violations along the alliance’s eastern flank.
The 32 member states described Russia’s actions as escalatory and dangerous in a collective statement following urgent consultations.
“Russia bears full responsibility for these actions, which are escalatory, risk miscalculation and endanger lives,“ the alliance declared.
NATO vowed to employ all necessary military and non-military tools to defend itself against threats from any direction.
The alliance emphasised that its commitment to collective defence remains absolutely unwavering.
Estonia triggered the emergency talks under Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty after Russian fighter jets violated its airspace last Friday.
Armed Russian aircraft remained inside Estonian airspace for approximately twelve minutes during that incident.
NATO scrambled its own fighter jets in response to the airspace violation over Estonia.
The Estonian incident occurred just over a week after NATO shot down Russian drones over Polish territory.
Poland subsequently demanded similar emergency consultations following the drone incursion.
NATO has announced it is strengthening its eastern defences in response to the recent threats from Moscow.
Multiple eastern flank nations including Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Finland have experienced recent airspace violations.
This sharp increase in tensions has raised serious concerns about the Ukraine conflict spreading beyond NATO’s borders.
The NATO countries reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to continue supporting Ukraine despite Russian actions.
Article 4 allows any member to request emergency talks when its territorial integrity or security is threatened.
Tuesday’s meeting marked the third invocation of Article 4 since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
This represents the ninth time in NATO’s 79-year history that Article 4 consultations have been triggered.
The alliance’s collective security foundation rests on Article 5, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all.
Article 5 has been invoked only once in NATO history, following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. – AFP