Czech President Petr Pavel made it clear that NATO should be ready to shoot down Russian aircraft in case of violation of NATO airspace. The Czech leader's statement followed a similar remark by Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Shakalene.
The President of the Czech Republic and former chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Petr Pavel, believes that Russia's alleged violation of Polish airspace and Estonia should entail an appropriate response from the alliance.
"Looking at what is happening around us today, reminding yourself of the importance of NATO membership is probably more important than ever. It shows us who our true friends and allies are and which community we want to belong to," said the Czech politician, speaking at the opening of the NATO Days in Mosnov.
According to him, such incidents "worry all of us, because if we are not united, sooner or later it will affect us." In his statement, Pavel indicated that NATO's response could include the use of force, "including military means."
"Russia will very quickly realize that it has made a mistake and crossed the line. Unfortunately, it's teetering on the edge of conflict, but we just can't give in to evil. Russia will behave as we allow it," Pavel believes.
EADaily reminds that the day before yesterday, the Estonian broadcasting company reported that three Russian MiG-31 fighters "suddenly" entered Estonian airspace near the island of Vaindloo in the Gulf of Finland and stayed there for a total of 12 minutes. The Russian Ministry of Defense replied that three fighters were making a scheduled flight from Karelia to the Kaliningrad region, and no violation of the borders of foreign countries was allowed.
In addition, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded to Lithuanian Defense Minister Shakalena, who called on NATO to shoot down Russian aerospace Forces aircraft.