(United States, 25th) NATO allies are finding it difficult to reach consensus on how to respond to Russia's violations of airspace, with defense partners even openly contradicting each other.
On Tuesday night (September 23), Germany warned that shooting down Russian aircraft carries risks, while almost simultaneously, US President Trump took a much tougher stance and gained support from Poland and the Baltic States. On Monday (22nd), Polish Prime Minister Tusk threatened to shoot down aerial threats and bluntly declared that this policy is "not open to discussion."
Bloomberg pointed out that these comments highlight a worrying level of division within NATO, as Russian President Putin tests NATO's resolve. A recent series of Russian aircraft entering the airspace of NATO member states has raised alarms along the Alliance's eastern flank and beyond.
Estonia this week called for NATO and the United Nations Security Council to convene an emergency meeting. Last Friday (19th), three Russian warplanes entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland for 12 minutes. This incident occurred just weeks after Russian drones intruded into Polish and Romanian airspace.
These incidents have increased the pressure on NATO to develop a response plan. Without a clear response plan, the alliance will find it difficult to maintain credible deterrence.
Unlike other partners, Germany advocates for caution. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, at a joint press conference with Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson in Berlin on Tuesday night, said that allies shooting down Russian aircraft could unknowingly fall into Putin's "escalation trap."
He said: "Rashly calling for everything to be shot down, or making some showy moves, is less effective than doing nothing. Calmness is not cowardice, not fear, but a responsibility to one's own country and the maintenance of European peace."
But other allies have called for a tougher stance to send a message to the Kremlin. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics, in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Tuesday, called for NATO to "demonstrate force" in response to Russian intrusions. He said: "The rules of engagement also need to be upgraded, and if Russia continues, opening fire should be an option."
The latest development surfaced on Wednesday (24th), when a military plane carrying Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles had its GPS disrupted en route to Lithuania.
Lithuania's Defense Minister, after meeting the Spanish Defense Minister, said: "This latest Russian action left a deep impression. Given recent Russian violations of NATO airspace, we think the Alliance needs to shift thinking, from aerial surveillance to air defense."
During his meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump also commented on the debate. When asked by reporters whether he supported NATO allies shooting down Russian planes, he replied: "Yes, I support it."
As for whether the White House would support NATO in engaging intruding Russian aircraft, Trump only said "it depends on the situation," but emphasized, "We are very tough on NATO."
Just hours before Trump made these remarks, US Secretary of State Rubio refuted Tusk's claim about "shooting down foreign planes entering airspace." Rubio said NATO policy is to intercept non-aggressive foreign aircraft, not to shoot them down.
NATO issued a statement on Tuesday, vowing a "strong" response to Russian intrusions and stating it would use all means, including military, for defense—a position in line with Tusk.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, in an interview with Bloomberg TV, urged allies "not to overreact, but to be firm enough, because force is the only language Russia understands."
On the other side of the debate, the Kremlin is feeling pressure from Trump. Trump wrote on social media that Russia is in dire economic straits, and he believes that with EU support, Ukraine will not only counterattack but also recover all territory lost to Russia since 2022, and even more.
Kremlin spokesperson Peskov responded that the Russian economy can fully meet the military's needs and warned that believing Ukraine can recover lost ground is a "serious misjudgment." According to sources, the Kremlin internally considers that the most important thing is that Trump still insists on remaining an observer in this war.
On Tuesday night (September 23), Germany warned that shooting down Russian aircraft carries risks, while almost simultaneously, US President Trump took a much tougher stance and gained support from Poland and the Baltic States. On Monday (22nd), Polish Prime Minister Tusk threatened to shoot down aerial threats and bluntly declared that this policy is "not open to discussion."
Bloomberg pointed out that these comments highlight a worrying level of division within NATO, as Russian President Putin tests NATO's resolve. A recent series of Russian aircraft entering the airspace of NATO member states has raised alarms along the Alliance's eastern flank and beyond.
Estonia this week called for NATO and the United Nations Security Council to convene an emergency meeting. Last Friday (19th), three Russian warplanes entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland for 12 minutes. This incident occurred just weeks after Russian drones intruded into Polish and Romanian airspace.
These incidents have increased the pressure on NATO to develop a response plan. Without a clear response plan, the alliance will find it difficult to maintain credible deterrence.
Unlike other partners, Germany advocates for caution. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, at a joint press conference with Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson in Berlin on Tuesday night, said that allies shooting down Russian aircraft could unknowingly fall into Putin's "escalation trap."
He said: "Rashly calling for everything to be shot down, or making some showy moves, is less effective than doing nothing. Calmness is not cowardice, not fear, but a responsibility to one's own country and the maintenance of European peace."
But other allies have called for a tougher stance to send a message to the Kremlin. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics, in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Tuesday, called for NATO to "demonstrate force" in response to Russian intrusions. He said: "The rules of engagement also need to be upgraded, and if Russia continues, opening fire should be an option."
The latest development surfaced on Wednesday (24th), when a military plane carrying Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles had its GPS disrupted en route to Lithuania.
Lithuania's Defense Minister, after meeting the Spanish Defense Minister, said: "This latest Russian action left a deep impression. Given recent Russian violations of NATO airspace, we think the Alliance needs to shift thinking, from aerial surveillance to air defense."
During his meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump also commented on the debate. When asked by reporters whether he supported NATO allies shooting down Russian planes, he replied: "Yes, I support it."
As for whether the White House would support NATO in engaging intruding Russian aircraft, Trump only said "it depends on the situation," but emphasized, "We are very tough on NATO."
Just hours before Trump made these remarks, US Secretary of State Rubio refuted Tusk's claim about "shooting down foreign planes entering airspace." Rubio said NATO policy is to intercept non-aggressive foreign aircraft, not to shoot them down.
NATO issued a statement on Tuesday, vowing a "strong" response to Russian intrusions and stating it would use all means, including military, for defense—a position in line with Tusk.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, in an interview with Bloomberg TV, urged allies "not to overreact, but to be firm enough, because force is the only language Russia understands."
On the other side of the debate, the Kremlin is feeling pressure from Trump. Trump wrote on social media that Russia is in dire economic straits, and he believes that with EU support, Ukraine will not only counterattack but also recover all territory lost to Russia since 2022, and even more.
Kremlin spokesperson Peskov responded that the Russian economy can fully meet the military's needs and warned that believing Ukraine can recover lost ground is a "serious misjudgment." According to sources, the Kremlin internally considers that the most important thing is that Trump still insists on remaining an observer in this war.