NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that there was no need to shoot down the MiG aircraft that flew into Estonia and stayed there for 12 minutes, as they did not pose an immediate threat. Rutte made this statement during a press conference, as reported by UNN.
In the case of the latest airspace violation, which we discussed today, NATO forces in Estonia promptly intercepted and escorted the aircraft without escalating the conflict. We always assess the danger, whether it is a direct threat to our common defense, our position, and always act accordingly. But in this case, there was no immediate threat. So, Swedish, Finnish, and Italian aircraft took action to ensure that these three aircraft left Estonian airspace.
Recall
Recently, three Russian MiG-31 fighters violated Estonian airspace, staying there for 12 minutes.
The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the interim chargé d'affaires of the Russian Federation in Estonia to express a protest and hand over a note regarding the violation of the country's airspace.
The Estonian Foreign Minister stated that the intrusion of Russian military aircraft into the country's airspace brings the Baltic states closer to armed conflict than ever before in recent years.