Latvian President: NATO must be ready to use force against Russia for airspace violations
Kyiv • UNN
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs stated that NATO must be ready to use force in response to Russia's actions. This will help prevent future airspace violations, especially if Russian aircraft continue to violate NATO airspace.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs believes that NATO should be ready to use force in response to Russia's actions to prevent future airspace violations. He said this in an interview with Bloomberg, reports UNN.
Details
According to Rinkēvičs, "if Russian planes continue to fly, violating our airspace, NATO airspace, the only way to stop them is to demonstrate force."
He noted that against the backdrop of previous Russian provocations, the air policing mission over the Baltic Sea "will become a full-fledged air defense mission."
I believe that the rules of engagement also need to be improved in such a way that if Russia's actions continue, opening fire becomes an alternative.
He also added that Vladimir Putin should "learn from history."
"Because by overdoing it, by crossing the line, at some point you lose everything... The messages we hear from NATO allies, from President Trump, from President Erdoğan, from other leaders of the alliance, are very clear, so don't even try," Edgars Rinkēvičs noted.
Recall
Three Russian MiG-31s violated the airspace over the Gulf of Finland. According to Foreign Minister of Estonia Margus Tsahkna, Estonia is initiating consultations under Article 4 of NATO after this incident.
The Seimas of Lithuania adopted amendments to laws that allow the army to react more quickly to drones that pose a threat to the country's airspace. This provides a new legal mechanism for the use of military force against drones in restricted areas.
US President Donald Trump stated that NATO countries should shoot down Russian planes that violate their airspace. This was said during a joint conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
US Secretary of State stated that NATO will not shoot down Russian planes if they do not attack when violating the airspace of Alliance member countries. He emphasized that the US commitment to defend every inch of NATO territory remains unchanged.