
Two German Eurofighter jets were scrambled on Sunday to intercept a Russian military plane over the Baltic Sea, while Estonia said it would call an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council after Russian planes violated its airspace.
The German air force said the Russian Il-20M reconnaissance plane had turned off its transponders and ignored requests to make contact. Eurofighter jets took off from Rostock-Laage air base to approach the plane as it flew in international airspace.
Tensions between NATO and Russia have risen sharply after a series of provocative and deliberate acts by the Kremlin, which European governments say were deliberate. On Friday, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated Estonian airspace in the Gulf of Finland. Moscow denies this.
Asked if the US was prepared to defend EU countries from further Russian aggression, Donald Trump said on Sunday: "Yes, I would. I would." Earlier, the US president said he "didn't like" Russia's air incursion, but said he had not been informed about it.
Estonia condemned the Kremlin's "shameless" behavior. It said it was calling an emergency meeting of the Security Council for the first time in Estonia's 34-year membership of the UN. World leaders are gathering in New York this week for the UN general assembly.