UK summons Russian ambassador over violation of NATO airspace

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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s government said Monday it has summoned the Russian ambassador in London following Moscow’s “unprecedented violation” of NATO airspace.

The Foreign Office called the incursions into Polish and Romanian airspace in recent days “unacceptable” and summoned Andrei Kelin, the Russian ambassador.

Significant and unprecedented violation of Polish and NATO airspace by Russian drones last week, followed by a further incursion into Romanian airspace on Saturday, was utterly unacceptable,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Russia should understand that its continued aggression only strengthens the unity between NATO allies and our determination to stand with Ukraine, and any further incursions will again be met with force,” the ministry added. “Russia must end its illegal war on Ukraine.”

“The U.K stands united with Poland, Romania, Ukraine and our NATO allies in unreservedly condemning these reckless actions,” the office added.

Multiple Russian drones crossed into Poland on Wednesday in what European officials described as a deliberate provocation, causing NATO to send fighter jets to shoot them down. The incident underlined long-held concerns about the expansion of Russia’s more than three-year war in Ukraine.

Polish airspace has been violated several times since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but there has been nothing on the scale of Wednesday’s violations in Poland or in any other NATO country.

Romania said Saturday it deployed two F-16 jets to intercept a drone that briefly entered its airspace. The country’s defense ministry said the drone did not fly over inhabited areas and did not represent an imminent danger to the public.