PARIS: Russia’s ambassador to France Alexey Meshkov has warned that if NATO were shooting down Russian planes allegedly violating the airsp...
PARIS: Russia’s ambassador to France Alexey Meshkov has warned that if NATO were shooting down Russian planes allegedly violating the airspace of the alliance's member countries, that would mean war.
"There would be war. What else could there be?" Meshkov said on RTL radio, responding to a question about Russia's possible response.
"Quite a few planes violate our airspace, accidentally and not accidentally. No one shoots them down," the ambassador added.
Meshkov also stated that Europe has not provided "any material evidence" proving Russia's involvement in UAV incidents in Europe.
"First of all, we're not playing games with anyone. Secondly, after the West has deceived us so many times, we believe only the hard facts," Meshkov said.
On September 23, during a meeting with Vladimir Zelensky on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, US President Donald Trump affirmatively answered a question from reporters about whether NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft should they violate their airspace. When asked whether the US was prepared to assist its NATO allies in this matter, Trump explained that it "depends on the circumstances."
Russia's response
Earlier, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed claims that Russian military aircraft had allegedly violated the airspace of other countries baseless and unsubstantiated. He made this statement in response to a question about the Kremlin's assessment of Trump's agreement that NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they violate the alliance's airspace. In this regard, the Kremlin spokesman recalled the Russian Defense Ministry's statements: "Our military aviation complies with all flight regulations and rules, is guided by them, and adheres to them most strictly."
Earlier, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal stated that Tallinn had requested consultations with NATO members in accordance with Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty regarding the alleged violation of the country's airspace by Russian fighter jets. Prior to this, Estonian authorities claimed that three MiG-31 jets had entered Estonian airspace on the morning of September 19.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the Russian fighter jets did not violate Estonian airspace. The three MiG-31s, it said, were on a scheduled flight from Karelia to the Kaliningrad Region. The flight was conducted in strict compliance with international airspace regulations and did not violate the borders of other states, as confirmed by objective monitoring, the Russian Defense Ministry emphasized. During the flight, the Russian aircraft did not deviate from the agreed-upon air route and did not violate Estonia's borders, the ministry pointed out.
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