Czech president says Europe may need to shoot down Russian aircraft, drones violating NATO airspace
European countries may have to start shooting down Russian aircraft and drones that violate NATO airspace if Moscow keeps testing the alliance's resolve, Czech President Petr Pavel said in an interview with the Sunday Times of London published Dec. 7.
"I believe there will be a moment, if these violations continue, where we will have to use stronger measures, including potentially shooting down a Russian airplane or drones," Pavel told the Times. "Russia wouldn’t allow repeated violations of their airspace. And we have to do the same."
Pavel added that Russian aircraft and drones entering NATO airspace are "deliberate, well-planned and focused on several objectives," including demonstrating that Russia "can do it," testing Western air defense systems, and "testing our resolve to act in self-defense."
Pavel has issued similar warnings before. In a Sept. 20 interview with public broadcaster Czech Television, he said NATO must remain united and "act firmly" in response to Russian provocations, including militarily if airspace violations continue, warning that "giving in to evil is simply impossible."
Beyond Russia’s war in Ukraine, Pavel said Europe will eventually need a new continent-wide security arrangement with Moscow, once a peace deal is reached on terms that uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty.
He said the "modern version" of such a framework would be a pan-European pact in which Russia recognizes the territorial sovereignty of all signatories and accepts "enforceable constraints on its behavior," in a way that would echo the 1975 Helsinki Accords.
"Such a negotiation will have to be led with two equal sides," Pavel said. "Not Russia imposing on us, but rather coming to an agreement that will recreate, somehow, the situation which we had in the late Seventies."
Pavel also argued that Europe should be able to fight and win a war on its own without substantial help from the United States. He warned that if the U.S. were "busy elsewhere, Asia-Pacific, for example," and unable to provide key capabilities such as intelligence, transport, communications, and logistics, "We in Europe should be able to do it on our own."
Russian missiles and drones have repeatedly violated NATO airspace during mass attacks on Ukraine, with Poland and Romania reporting incursions and debris falling on their territory since late 2023. Romania has authorized its military to shoot down drones that breach its airspace and has urged a more “robust” NATO response to such incidents.
Czechia has been one of Ukraine’s most active supporters, spearheading a Czech-led ammunition initiative that supplied 1.5 million shells in 2024 and aims to deliver up to 1.8 million more by the end of 2025. Prague has also provided extensive military aid, hosted large numbers of Ukrainian refugees, and backed closer security ties during President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visits to the country.
