Rutte denies friction in NATO about Russians
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his foreign minister Radek Sikorski warned Russia on Monday to “without discussion” to shoot from the sky. Similar threats sounded from the Czech Republic and Lithuania. Tusk did indicate that the other NATO countries should agree.
Rutte emphasized on Tuesday after emergency consultation with the 32 Member States about new Russian aircraft violations that the Alliance does not just open the fire for an invaded aircraft. “We will always assess whether there is an immediate danger.” According to him, that is also the reason that the three MIGs who flew over Estonia were not taken down the reason for the emergency consultation.
The US, the vast majority of NATO country, makes an even more tone. “I don’t think anyone is talking about shooting Russian planes,” American foreign minister Marco Rubio told CBS News. “Unless they use the attack.” Russia takes down a manned device much higher than of unmanned drones, as happened two weeks ago above Poland, warns a diplomat from another prominent NATO country.
But the differences within the Alliance are not that great, soak diplomats. They ask for an understanding of the awkward feeling of Member States who are seizing Russia and the airspacing violations are increasingly following up. Separate NATO countries can express themselves a bit sharper, says a source. If the alliance does that as a whole, the case can escalate quickly. According to an initiate, Rutte did not call it to order.
NATO does not have to make it less clear when Member States make it clear enough that it is the Alliance Ernst, a diplomat suggests. The alliance itself can then leave Russia in the dark about her response, and that would be deterrent. But according to an initiate there was no question of an agreed roles of roles.