Russian fighter jets spark clash inside NATO – Fox News

Disagreements between the NATO Secretary General and the Estonian Prime Minister arose last week after Estonia invoked Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which provides for consultations if a member country feels its security is threatened.

According to Rutte, too frequent use of this article threatens to weaken the treaty.

“One source said he even raised his voice at Michal, warning that NATO must be cautious about how often it signals alarm,” the media said.

Russian MiG-31s in Estonian airspace

Earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte contacted Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal to discuss the incident involving Russian fighter jets violating the country's airspace. The Estonian government invited its allies to consult under Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets crossed Estonian airspace without permission on Friday morning, September 19, near the island of Vaindloo.

The Russian aircraft remained in Estonian airspace for about 12 minutes before Italian F-35s intercepted the Russian fighter jets.

Russian strike drones violated the airspace of several NATO countries in September, including at least Poland and Romania.