Russia announces continued communication with NATO despite military tensions

Amid escalating tensions between Moscow and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), following a series of recent aerial incidents, the Russian ambassador in Brussels Denis Gonchar announced that emergency communication channels between Russia and the alliance remain open and are used periodically.

In statements reported by the Russian news agency "Novosti", Gonchar confirmed that there is a regular exchange of messages between the Russian and NATO militaries, explaining that these messages are usually brief and focus on specific incidents, such as airspace violations or emergency military incidents.

The Russian ambassador urged NATO to abandon its "hostile approach", considering it necessary for the normalization of relations between the two sides, emphasizing that the continuation of tensions does not serve European security.

Gonchar also criticized the recent escalation by the alliance, particularly on the eastern flank, accusing Brussels of ignoring Moscow's legitimate interests, saying:

"NATO continues to fuel the situation by sending weapons to Kyiv, considering the deployment of forces inside Ukraine, and providing security guarantees only to Kyiv, which confirms that Russia's interests are completely disregarded."

These statements come after the Estonian Foreign Ministry announced that the United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting today Monday, at the request of Tallinn, following the violation of Estonian airspace by three Russian aircraft.

Last week witnessed an unprecedented incident since the establishment of NATO in 1949, where 19 Russian drones breached Polish airspace.

Polish and Dutch fighter jets of the F-16 and F-35 models managed to shoot down three of them.

Another Russian drone breached Romanian airspace days later, leading to a new wave of European condemnations.

These incidents are a serious indicator of the worsening crisis between Russia and NATO, amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, and rising European fears of the situation slipping into a broader confrontation, at a time when Moscow seeks to maintain a minimum level of military communication to avoid direct collision.