NATO allies clashed with Russia at the United Nations on Monday, accusing Moscow of risking global peace by violating the alliance’s airspace in Estonia and Poland.
The emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was convened in New York on the evening of Sept. 22 following a series of airspace incursions by Russian military aircraft and drones.
This included the unauthorized entry of Russian fighter-bombers into Estonian airspace on Friday, as well as the earlier breach of Polish airspace by more than 20 Russian drones, prompting NATO to scramble jets to shoot some of them down.
Speaking at the meeting, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna called on fellow Security Council members to force Russia to “abandon its criminal, neocolonial and imperial ambitions.”
Tsahkna also responded to Russian allegations from earlier in the day that Estonia had fabricated the incident. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had earlier dismissed Tallinn’s claim, telling reporters that Moscow “never heard in the Estonian statement that they have objective monitoring data.”
“That is why we consider such words to be empty, unfounded and a continuation of a completely reckless pattern of escalating tensions and provoking a confrontational atmosphere,” Peskov had said, adding that Russia’s Defense Ministry categorically denies any airspace violation.
In retaliation, Tsahkna showed the meeting a printout from Estonia’s air radar and closeup pictures of the Russian jets, adding that they all “carried missiles and were combat ready.”
“We remember the occupation of Georgia in 2008, 2014 Crimea, 2022 aggression against Ukraine… So please don’t lie again. Hard evidence is here,” Tsahkna added.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski addressed Moscow directly: “We know you don’t care for international law, and you are incapable of living in peace with your neighbors.”
“I have only one request to the Russian government,” he warned. “If another missile or aircraft enters our space without permission, deliberately or by mistake, and gets shot down and the wreckage falls on NATO territory, please don’t come here to whine about it. You have been warned.”
Newly appointed US envoy to the UN Michael Waltz, in his first appearance since assuming the role, reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to collective defense: “I want to take this first opportunity to repeat and to emphasize the United States and our allies will defend every inch of NATO territory.”
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper echoed allies’ concerns, saying: “Your reckless actions risk direct armed confrontation between NATO and Russia. Our alliance is defensive, but be under no illusion we stand ready to defend NATO’s skies and NATO’s territory.”
“If we need to confront planes operating in NATO space without permission then we will do so,” she continued.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told Russian representatives: “Your government’s actions are reckless, dangerous, and go against the very principles of the United Nations.”
“Russia will continue to provoke, as long as we allow it,” she cautioned.
Meanwhile, Russia’s representative to the UN Security Council, Dmitry Polyanskiy, hit back at European leaders, accusing them of “primitive hatred” of Russia and issuing “baseless” claims.
Launching into a barbed rhetorical attack, he claimed that “Voltaire, Rousseau, Kant” had been replaced by “von der Leyens, Kallases, Johnsons and other small-time blinkered russophobes.”
Polyanskiy finished by accusing Europe of being “like an unhinged, paranoid individual, unable to respond to criticism, nor is it able to remember the lessons of history.”
“We won’t be partaking in this theatre of the absurd, and you don’t need us there,” he concluded his incendiary speech.
On Sept. 19, Estonia said that three Russian MiG-31 fighters had violated Estonian airspace without permission and stayed for a total of 12 minutes before being forced to withdraw.
The episode was described by Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tashkna as Russia’s most “brazen” violation to date and led to Russia’s chargé d’affaires in Estonia being summoned as the incident drew global condemnation.