NATO fighter jets have spectacularly intercepted Russian fighter jets that have been seen flying over the Baltic Sea, in what appears to be an intervention by Vladimir Putin to check Western defenses.
According to NATO, two French Mirage 2000-5s were sent to shoot down a Russian SU-30-M after it flew over the Baltic Sea on Thursday.
This comes as Putin delivered an annual agreement to the country this week, saying his country’s nuclear forces were “completely ready. “
Putin said the West has in mind that “we also have weapons capable of hitting targets on their territory, and what they are now suggesting and with which they are frightening the world, all this poses the real risk of a nuclear clash that would mean the destruction of our civilization. “
A video shared today on NATO Air Command’s X site shows a French Mirage 2000-5 escorting two Russian SU-30-M jets, with the fighter jets appearing to look each other in the eye.
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On the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg made a statement that may have infuriated Putin and the Kremlin.
He told a leaders’ rally in Kyiv: “President Putin started this war because he sought to close the door on NATO and deny Ukraine the right to go its own way. But it has achieved precisely the opposite: Ukraine is now closer than ever to NATO.
“Ukraine will join the OTAN. La question is not if, but when. As we prepare for this day, NATO will continue to support Ukraine. For your protection and ours.
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In Britain, a rebel Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon took his complaint to parliament after Putin warned the West that he opposed deeper involvement in Ukraine.
Putin’s comments came in a state of the country following the second anniversary of the invasion by Kremlin forces and on the eve of next month’s elections that he is almost certain to win.
In response at Westminster, Lord Ahmad told his peers: “Nothing surprises or shocks us in the words of the Lord. This is the first time he has made such comments.
“It’s irresponsible, it is, and the use or risk of using such weapons is frankly absolutely deplorable. Whether he’s employing them deliberately or as a surprise tactic, I can’t speculate on that.
“But what I can say, and I’m sure I speak for everyone in the House, is that the last thing you need to hear right now is the risk that comes with using such weapons. “