NATO Vows Defense of Airspace Following Russian Airspace Violations
United Nations – The United States adn its allies affirmed their commitment to defend “every centimeter” of NATO territory during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday, prompted by alleged Russian airspace violations near Estonia. The strong message came after Estonia invoked Article 4 of the NATO treaty, requesting consultations with member states following Friday’s incident involving a Russian MiG-31 fighter jet.
The meeting addressed Estonia’s claim that a Russian military aircraft violated its airspace. Russia has denied any wrongdoing, asserting the plane was on a “regular flight entirely in accordance with international airspace rules.” Russia’s UN ambassador Dimitri Poljanski further claimed there was no evidence of a intentional violation, accusing Western countries of making “baseless accusations.” He stated, “Europe is currently behaving as an unstable, paranoid individual, who is unable to respond to criticism and has not learned any of the story,” adding that Russia is ready for serious discussion about european security.
U.S. envoy Michael Waltz, making his frist appearance at the Security Council since taking office, underscored continued U.S. support for the Defense Alliance.
This marks the first time in 30 years Estonia has requested an emergency Security Council meeting – a similar session was held in early September following airspace violations near Poland. A meeting of the NATO Council is scheduled for the beginning of the week in response to Estonia’s invocation of Article 4.
