Latvia calls on NATO to boost Baltic air defenses after Russian incursions

Latvian President Edgars Rinkėvičs has called on NATO to increase protection for the Baltic states, citing Russian violations of the alliance's airspace, joining a similar appeal from Lithuania.

NATO leaders said Russia had repeatedly violated the alliance's airspace, including in the Baltic states and Poland, where NATO fighters shot down several Russian drones earlier this month.

The following week, Estonia said three Russian MiG-31 fighters violated its airspace for 12 minutes before NATO fighters escorted them out.

"Russia continues a pattern of provocations, the most recent example being the irresponsible violation of Polish and Estonian airspace," Rinkevich said at a meeting of NATO's Military Committee in the Latvian capital Riga, Reuters reported.

"Transforming the Baltic air policing mission into a Baltic air defense mission, with appropriate rules of use of force, should be a priority," he added.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene said earlier this month that Vilnius had prepared a position paper on changing the mission to include additional capabilities "such as ground-based air defense assets, sensors and detectors."

Asked about the possibility of switching to an air defense mission, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chairman of NATO's Military Committee, said it would be premature to make such a decision while recent incidents were still being investigated.

"That could be an option, depending on the final assessment," he said at a press conference after the Committee meeting in Riga.

Russia denied that its planes violated Estonian airspace and said its drones were not planning to strike targets in Poland.

NATO fighters have been patrolling the skies over the Baltic states since 2004 and are on standby to intercept aircraft entering the Alliance's airspace or flying close to its borders.

After the incident over Poland, NATO launched Operation Eastern Sentry to strengthen defenses along its entire eastern flank. But Baltic officials say they still need more protection.