Rutte: NATO Countries Should Shoot Down Russian Aircraft Intruders

• 26.09.2025, 8:16

The Alliance secretary general made a tough statement.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said member states should shoot down Russian intruder planes "if necessary," The Times writes.

Speaking in Washington, Rutte said he "fully agreed" with Trump's statement, which called on allies to respond to intrusions with force.

The alliance's secretary-general said NATO's armed forces were sufficiently trained to determine whether each intruding aircraft posed a serious threat.

"The alliance's armed forces are sufficiently prepared and trained to determine whether each intruding aircraft should be treated as a serious threat and neutralized or whether it should be considered a provocation and escorted back across the border," he added.

Also in an interview with Bloomberg, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schof confirmed the possibility that NATO members could shoot down a Russian plane in the future because of a violation of alliance airspace.

"The Russians should know that this can happen if they enter NATO airspace," Schof said, calling such actions a "serious violation."

"It all starts with reckless actions by the Russians, and of course they take risks," Schof said. "And, of course, NATO commanders decide how to respond."