NATO Elevates Response to Russian Airspace Violations

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told the UN Security Council that recent Russian airspace incidents — including drone incursions into Poland and Romania and reported violations of Estonian and German airspace — risk escalating into direct confrontation with NATO. NATO has held Article 4 consultations and launched a new Eastern Sentinel initiative to bolster air, land and maritime defenses along the alliance’s eastern flank, with France, the UK (including deployed RAF Typhoon jets) and other allies contributing deployable capabilities. Allied officials stressed multidomain responses to drone and airspace incursions and vowed to defend NATO territory. Some U.S. political figures, including former President Donald Trump, and other leaders have adopted harder-line rhetoric, raising concerns about the risk of future escalation; Moscow denies the characterization of its actions. The tensions come amid heavy fighting in Ukraine, where both Kyiv and Moscow report recent battlefield shifts, adding to regional geopolitical strain.