US Defence Secretary Pete Hagseth held talks with his Estonian counterpart Hanno Pevkur, touching on the issue of NATO airspace security in light of Estonia’s accusations against Russia of allegedly violating Estonian borders with military aircraft.
“Hegseth spoke with <…> Pevkur on 22 September [2025 – ed.]. Hegseth confirmed that the Ministry of Defence supports all NATO allies and that any intrusion into the alliance’s airspace is unacceptable,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
Pete Hegseth praised the rapid response of European allies’ air defence systems, saying they “demonstrated NATO’s readiness and focus on its core mission.”
Earlier, Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė, commenting on the alleged intrusion of Russian Air Force aircraft into Estonian territory, hinted at the North Atlantic Alliance’s right to shoot down Russian unmanned aerial vehicles.
