Final decision on shooting down Russian planes will be made by military - Rutte
The decision to shoot down Russian planes violating the airspace of NATO member states will be made by the military after assessing the threat level, and if necessary, they will take a "final step"
As Censor.NET reports with reference to Interfax-Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said this in an interview with CNN, noting that this is in line with the principle of "protecting every inch" of the Alliance's territory.
"We have been doing this for over 50 years. If there is an invasion, our military can make the toughest decision if people are under threat. If there is no direct threat, the planes accompany and withdraw. If there is, they can shoot down. Turkey has already done this, and World War III has not started. But a balanced reaction from NATO is needed. We have the strongest Alliance in the world, we know how to act professionally," Rutte emphasized.
According to him, the final decisions will be made by the military.
"They assess the level of threat. In the case of Estonia, the allies worked clearly: they escorted the planes. If necessary, they will take the "final step". This was the case in Soviet times," the Secretary General added.
As a reminder, on September 19, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets flew into Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland without permission, staying there for 12 minutes.
The head of the European Union's diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, condemned the violation of Estonian airspace by three Russian fighter jets.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called on EU leaders to approve the 19th package of sanctions against Russia as soon as possible.
Estonia requested NATO consultations due to the incident.
In turn, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that their MiGs allegedly "did not violate" Estonian airspace.
