Shooting down Russian planes ‘on the table’ – Von der Leyen

NATO chief previously clarified the bloc’s engagement rules, after Poland and UK issued similar threats

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that the option of shooting down Russian aircraft intruding into NATO airspace cannot be ruled out, following a series of alleged violations this month.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that European NATO members should down Russian aircraft that breach their skies. Poland and Estonia have both accused Moscow of incursions in recent weeks – claims that the Russian government has denied.

“My opinion is we have to defend every square centimeter of the territory,” von der Leyen told CNN on Wednesday. “That means if there is an intrusion in the airspace, after warning, after being very clear, of course the option of shooting down a fighter jet that is intruding our airspace is on the table.”

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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte outlined the alliance’s procedures for responding to such incidents on Tuesday, stating that decisions on whether to engage intruding aircraft are made “in real time and are always based on available intelligence regarding the threat posed.”

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski warned at an emergency UN Security Council meeting this week that any future intrusion would be met with force. “If another missile or aircraft enters our airspace without permission – either deliberately or by mistake – and gets shot down and the wreckage falls on NATO territory, please don’t come here to whine about it,” he said.

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British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper delivered a similar message, saying the UK stood ready “to take all steps necessary to defend NATO skies and NATO’s territory… If we need to confront planes operating in NATO airspace without permission, we will.”

Russia has rejected the accusations, with Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky calling them “Russophobic hysteria” designed to pressure Washington into a more confrontational policy.

Warsaw has yet to provide evidence that the drones were of Russian origin, and according to Polyansky, the only confirmed damage from the Polish incident was actually caused by a missile fired from a NATO F-16, which struck a residential building. As for the alleged airspace violation over the Baltic, Russian officials insist the jets conducted a planned flight and “did not stray from the agreed route, nor did they cross into Estonian airspace.”