Correspondence // NATO — Poland, Latvia, Romania… European leaders protest against Russian drones in their airspace
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics announced on Sunday, September 8, that a Russian military drone had crashed on his country's territory and that violations of NATO territory had increased. Bucharest and Warsaw made similar announcements. Latvia, which was under Soviet rule but is now a member of the European Union and the Atlantic Alliance, maintained strained relations with Moscow after independence. Relations have not improved since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. In turn, Poland and Romania argue for the right to use air defense against Russian missiles and drones.
In Romania, a similar incursion happened overnight on Sunday. A Russian drone launched on a mission targeting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure was spotted entering Romanian airspace. Bucharest strongly condemned the "new violation" caused by Moscow's "illegal attacks". "Today, Russian drones violated Romanian and Latvian airspace. "This is a reminder that Russia's aggressive actions extend beyond Ukraine," the Ukrainian Foreign Minister wrote on the X platform, advocating the possibility "to use the air defense of partners (NATO) to intercept Russian missiles and drones over Ukraine".
The planes of the Romanian Air Force monitored the situation and phone alerts were sent to the residents of Tulcea and Constanța departments, two areas close to the border with Ukraine. According to the press release, the first data indicated the probability of an impact zone on the national territory in an uninhabited region near the village of Periprava. Authorities said they are searching for possible debris.
As for Poland, the country has recorded at least two cases of violations of its airspace by Russian missiles or drones targeting Ukraine. On Monday, the Polish air force was put on alert following massive Russian airstrikes against Ukrainian territory. South-eastern Poland borders Ukraine, and the country remains very attentive to developments in the war on its border.
In an interview with the Financial Times published last week, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Warsaw should have the right to shoot down Russian missiles aimed at Ukraine before they enter Polish airspace, despite opposition from NATO . Here lies the main deadlock within the Alliance, between the western members, especially the main one: the United States, and the eastern members of NATO: the latter would like to be able to shoot down Russian missiles and drones right over Russian territory, which Washington refuses ... yet.
So everyone is waiting for the outcome of the US elections in November to see who will decide the next course for NATO. Until then, it's all rhetoric on both sides.
Author: Dan Alexe
