• Estonia reports unprecedented airspace violation by Russian jets.
• Incident follows recent Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace.
• Russia denies violation, says jets flew over neutral waters.

Three Russian military jets violated Nato member Estonia’s airspace for 12 minutes on Friday in an “unprecedentedly brazen” incursion, its government said, the latest in a series of recent military actions by Russia that have rattled the alliance.

Russia’s Defence Ministry denied its jets violated Estonian airspace, saying they flew over neutral waters.

With tensions already high because of the war in Ukraine, the incursion came just over a week after more than 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace on the night of September 9-10. That prompted Nato jets to down some of them and Western officials to say Russia was testing the alliance’s readiness and resolve.

It also occurred three days after Russia and Belarus ended their “Zapad-2025” joint military exercises, which included the rehearsal of the launch of Russian nuclear weapons.

Tallinn said the three MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace without permission and stayed for a total of 12 minutes before they were forced to withdraw, during which time the high-speed aircraft could have traversed broad swaths of the country.

“Russia has violated Estonian airspace four times already this year, which is unacceptable in itself, but today’s violation, during which three fighter jets entered our airspace, is unprecedentedly brazen,” Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.

Russian jets routinely fly over the Baltic Sea between mainland Russia and its exclave of Kaliningrad.

In a statement issued early on Saturday, the Russian Defence Ministry said its jets flew over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea in proceeding from northwest Russia to Kaliningrad.

“The flight was carried out in strict conformity with international rules governing airspace with no violation of the borders of other states as is confirmed by independent checks,” the ministry said of the three MiG-31 fighters in a post on Telegram.

“During the flight, the Russian aircraft did not deviate from the agreed flight path and did not violate Estonian airspace.”

Separately, Poland said on Friday two Russian fighter jets violated the safety zone of the Petrobaltic drilling platform in the Baltic Sea.

Eyes on Trump

US President Donald Trump said late on Friday afternoon he had not been briefed on the incident but expected he would be later.

“I don’t love it. I don’t like when that happens,” Trump told reporters when asked if he saw the incursion by Russian jets as a threat to Nato. “Could be big trouble. I’ll let you know later.”

Trump’s administration is being closely watched for a response.

Washington had little to say about the drone incursion into Poland and did not participate directly in fending it off, triggering anxiety among Nato members, who have questioned Trump’s commitment to their defence in case of a Russian attack.

Nato said Russia was reckless.

“Earlier today, Russian jets violated Estonian airspace. Nato responded immediately and intercepted the Russian aircraft. This is yet another example of reckless Russian behaviour and Nato’s ability to respond,” a Nato spokesperson said on X.

No accident

Europeans quickly responded to the Russian jet incident on Friday. “This was no accident,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas – a former Estonian prime minister — said in comments relayed by a spokesperson.

Estonia said it had summoned the top Russian diplomat in the country to lodge a protest and deliver a note.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said his country had decided to ask Nato to open consultations under Article 4 of the alliance’s treaty, and that the Russian jets flew around 5 nautical miles (9 km) into Nato airspace before Italian F-35s, currently stationed at a base in Estonia, pushed them out.

Nato polices the airspace of Estonia and other Baltic nations in its “Baltic Sentry” mission.

Tsahkna suggested that Estonia would be asking allies for more air defences. “It was a very clear provocation. It was definitely meant like this. And that’s why we are calling the Article 4 political consultations,” he told Reuters.

Article 4 states that members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territory, political independence or security of any of them is threatened.

Ukraine called the incursion an unacceptable new destabilisation measure by Russia and said it stands with Estonia. “Strong action is needed, both jointly and from individual countries,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on the Telegram messaging app.

Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said NATO should urgently move air defence capabilities to frontline states.

“We are being tested, our citizens are being threatened almost every day now. This means that we need to have capabilities collected from our allies (to be placed) by our borders, because that’s the border of NATO,” she told Reuters.

Estonia said the airspace violation occurred on Friday morning in the area of Vaindloo Island, around 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the capital Tallinn.

The aircraft did not have flight plans, their transponders were not switched on and they were not in contact with air traffic control, Estonia said.

While incursions over Vaindloo Island by Russian aircraft are fairly common, they do not usually last as long as Friday’s incident. “It’s tough to see how this wasn’t intentional,” a US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said.

Jakub M. Godzimirski, a research professor in Russian security policy at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, said the incident could be a test, but could also be purely coincidental.

“Still, this happens in a given context, having in mind what happened with the drone incursion in Poland a few days ago,” Godzimirski said.

A staunch supporter of Ukraine, Tallinn said in May that Moscow had briefly sent a fighter jet into Nato airspace over the Baltic Sea during an attempt to stop a Russian-bound oil tanker thought to be part of a “shadow fleet” defying Western sanctions on Moscow.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told AFP on Friday that the world should not be “intimidated” by Israel or its gradual annexation of the occupied West Bank.

Speaking at UN headquarters in New York, Guterres also called for stronger climate action, warning that efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels are at risk of “collapsing.”

His remarks came ahead of the UN’s high-level week, during which 10 countries are expected to recognize a Palestinian state, despite strong Israeli objections.

The annual gathering of over 140 heads of state and government, which temporarily paralyzes parts of Manhattan, will likely focus on the future of the Palestinians and the war in Gaza.

Israel has reportedly threatened to annex parts of the West Bank if Western nations move forward with the recognition plan.

But Guterres stressed, “We should not feel intimidated by the risk of retaliation,” adding that international pressure could help prevent further annexation.

Describing the situation in Gaza, he said, “What we are witnessing is horrendous. It is the worst level of death and destruction I have seen in my time as Secretary-General, probably in my life.

The suffering of the Palestinian people cannot be described—famine, lack of effective health care, and inadequate shelter in overcrowded areas.”

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for annexing parts of the West Bank to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state,” after several countries supported France’s push for recognition.

Meanwhile, Israel’s ally, the United States, has refrained from criticizing either the Gaza conflict or Israel’s annexation plans and has criticized its allies for recognizing a Palestinian state.

Climate goals face collapse

Also on the agenda will be efforts to combat climate change which Guterres warned are floundering.

Guterres said efforts to cap climate warming at 1.5 Celsius above pre-industrial levels were in trouble.

The climate goals for 2035 of the countries that signed the Paris Agreement, also known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), were initially expected to be submitted several months ago.

However, uncertainties related to geopolitical tensions and trade rivalries have slowed the process.

“We are on the verge of this objective collapsing,” he told AFP.

“We absolutely need countries to come… with climate action plans that are fully aligned with 1.5 degrees (Celsius), that cover the whole of their economies and the whole of their greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.

“It is essential that we have a drastic reduction of emissions in the next few years if you want to keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit alive.”

Less than two months before COP30 climate meeting in Brazil, dozens of countries have been slow to announce their plans particularly China and the European Union, powers considered pivotal for the future of climate diplomacy.

Efforts to combat the impact of man-made global warming have taken a backseat to myriad crises in recent years that have included the coronavirus pandemic and several wars, with Guterres seeking to reignite the issue.

The UN hopes that the climate summit co-chaired Wednesday in New York by Guterres and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will be an opportunity to breathe life into efforts ahead of COP30.

Guterres said he was concerned that Nationally Determined Contributions, or national climate action plans, may not ultimately support the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

“It’s not a matter to panic. It’s a matter to be determined, to put all pressure for countries.”

Containing global warming to1.5C compared to the pre-industrial era 1850-1900 is the most ambitious goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement.

But many scientists agree that this threshold will most likely be reached before the end of this decade, as the planet continues to burn more and more oil, gas, and coal.

The climate is already on average 1.4C warmer today, according to current estimates from the European observatory Copernicus.

The United States is in discussions with the Taliban about re-establishing a small US military presence at Afghanistan’s Bagram air base as a launch point for counterterrorism operations, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people with knowledge of the negotiations.

The Journal, citing a US official, also reported that the talks, headed by Special Envoy for Hostage Response Adam Boehler, include a potential prisoner exchange, a possible economic deal, and a security component.

This is a developig story and is being updated with more details.