NATO will intercept Russian aircraft violating the airspace of alliance member countries, but will only destroy them in the event of a direct threat, the bloc's Secretary General, Mark Rutte, stated in an interview with Fox News.

According to him, if the aircraft pose no threat, they will be carefully escorted out of NATO airspace. Rutte said that NATO countries responded appropriately to previous incidents of alleged violations by Russian pilots.

We have been preparing and training for this, said the NATO Secretary General.

On October 15, The Telegraph reported that NATO is negotiating uniform rules that could simplify the process of shooting down Russian fighter jets. The possibility of recognizing any aircraft carrying air-to-surface missiles in the airspace of alliance countries as a legitimate target is being considered. The key threat factors will be the type of weapon and flight path.

On October 9, members of the European Parliament (EP) adopted a resolution calling on EU member states to shoot down Russian aircraft in their airspace. According to the resolution, the EP will support any initiative that allows the Union to take proportionate action against violations of its airspace.