NATO drafts new rules for shooting down Russian jets —Belgian Defense Minister

When asked whether NATO countries are currently discussing new rules that would make it easier to shoot down Russian aircraft in NATO airspace, Francken said that this is indeed one of the topics under discussion.

" Yes, one of the discussions is how we can tackle drones and how can we be very agile when we talk about Russian aggression in our airspace. That's true. And it's also about the rules," says Francken.

According to him, some countries have their own rules, but Belgium does not. Belgium is fully integrated into NATO.

"So for us, it's a NATO officer that makes that decision. But there are countries with their own rules, like Poland, like a lot of countries. It's also about sovereignty, so it's a difficult discussion. You know everything about sovereignty," the Belgian Defense Minister adds.

He also stresses that this applies not only to aircraft or drones, but also to ships. In other words, the decision to shoot down an aircraft or drone in Belgium is made by NATO. In other countries, it is made by the national minister or government.

"And it is a big discussion, but I understand also that it's not so easy to," Francken concludes.

Background

NATO is discussing new rules that could make it easier to shoot down Russian fighter jets that violate the airspace of Alliance countries.

Defense officials want Russian aircraft carrying ground-attack missiles over allied airspace to become legitimate targets.

Defense Ministers of NATO member states are set to discuss new rules for shooting down Russian aircraft on Wednesday, October 15. The reason for this is that Europe is increasingly facing growing threats from Russian aircraft and drones.

However, some member states fear that a tougher stance could provoke a conflict with a nuclear rival.