The UN Security Council will convene on Monday in New York. The meeting will take place at 5 PM Estonian time. This is the first time Estonia has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Estonia has been a member of the UN for 34 years.
The UN Security Council has 15 members. Five countries are permanent members: the United States, China, Russia, France, and the United Kingdom.
On September 19, three Russian fighter jets entered Estonian airspace. The aircraft remained in Estonian airspace for 12 minutes. This violated Estonia's territorial integrity and the principles of the UN Charter. Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that Russian actions are testing NATO and Europe's resolve.
Tsahkna added that Russia's behavior is part of a larger pattern. A few days before the violation of Estonian airspace, Russian drones entered Polish and Romanian airspace. Such behavior increases tensions in the world.
On Friday morning, three Russian fighter jets entered Estonian airspace near Vaindloo Island. The aircraft remained in Estonian airspace for 12 minutes. NATO's Italian F-35 jets responded to the incident.
The Estonian government requested consultations under NATO's Article 4. A NATO spokesperson said that the North Atlantic Council will convene at the beginning of the new week to discuss the incident in more detail.