NATO Warned Moscow of Readiness to Shoot Down Aircraft

Bloomberg, citing sources, reports that European diplomats warned the Kremlin this week that NATO is prepared to respond to further violations of its airspace, including by shooting down Russian aircraft.

According to the sources, a “tense meeting” took place in Moscow between representatives of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany and a Russian diplomat. They voiced concern over a recent incident in which three MiG-31 fighters entered Estonian airspace.

In response, according to the sources, the Russian diplomat said Moscow’s actions were a reaction to Ukraine’s attacks on Crimea. He argued that such operations would not have been possible without NATO’s support.