BRUSSELS — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Wednesday that NATO can defend its own territory and airspace, telling reporters, “Guys, this is not new. We’ve been doing this for 60, 70 years,” ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers.
Rutte said NATO had “put everything in place to be able to defend every inch of its territory and airspace should the Russians deliberately try something.”
The NATO secretary general cited the downing of drones over Poland and the diversion of Russian aircraft over Estonia as recent examples.
NATO announced last month that it was ramping up defenses in eastern member states.
With Operation Eastern Sentry, more work is being done to intercept drones.
This Wednesday, according to Rutte, defense ministers do look at how countries should adapt to ‘new developments,’ such as the threat posed by drones. They also discuss providing military and financial support to Ukraine.
