European diplomats have privately warned the Kremlin that NATO is prepared to respond to further violations of its airspace by Russian aircraft, including by shooting them down.

Source: Bloomberg, as reported by European Pravda

Details: According to Bloomberg, the ambassadors of the UK, Germany and France expressed concern during a "tense meeting in Moscow" over the violation of Estonian airspace by three Russian fighter jets on 19 September.

European diplomats warned Russia they were ready to take decisive measures in response to further violations and noted that the incident involving Estonia was deliberate, the report says.

A Russian representative reportedly told the European diplomats that the recent airspace violations in Europe were "a response to Ukrainian attacks on Crimea", which allegedly "would not have been possible without NATO support".

The report does not specify which exact incidents the Kremlin was referring to.

Publicly available information suggests that the meeting described by Bloomberg took place on 22 September, with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov representing Russia. Officially, the meeting was dedicated to talks on Iran’s nuclear programme.

Background:

• NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that he supports US President Donald Trump's position on the need to shoot down Russian aircraft that violate NATO airspace.
• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said she does not rule out shooting down Russian aircraft that irresponsibly enter NATO airspace.
• However, not everyone shares this stance – for instance, French President Emmanuel Macron.

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