Estonia mentioned that three Russian MiG-31 fighter plane entered its airspace on September 19, hours after the European Commission proposed a nineteenth package deal of sanctions on Moscow over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Foreign Ministry in Tallinn mentioned the jets remained in Estonian airspace for 12 minutes.
“Russia has already violated Estonia’s airspace 4 occasions this yr, which in itself is unacceptable. But at present’s incursion, involving three fighter plane getting into our airspace, is unprecedentedly brazen,” mentioned Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
Estonia is a member of NATO and the European Union. NATO mentioned its jets had intercepted the Russian plane.
The incident follows current incursions by Russian drones in Poland and Romania, that are additionally members of each organizations.
New EU Sanctions
Earlier on September 19, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen talked about the drone incursions whereas saying proposals for the EU’s newest sanctions package deal.
“Again and once more, President Putin has escalated, and in response, Europe is rising its stress,” she mentioned.
Von der Leyen mentioned the principle emphasis was on hitting Russia’s fossil gas revenues, which drive its struggle in Ukraine.
Brussels is looking for an entire ban on imports of Russian liquefied pure fuel (LNG) by the start of 2027, bringing ahead earlier plans to part them out by the tip of that yr.
The plans, which should be accepted unanimously by member states, additionally envisage blacklisting an extra 118 vessels in Russia’s “shadow fleet,” used to avoid restrictions on oil exports.
“It’s time to show off the faucet,” von der Leyen mentioned, noting that 560 ships within the shadow fleet had been now sanctioned.
She additionally introduced a full transaction ban on Russian power giants Rosneft and Gazprom-Neft, scrapping exemptions they needed to earlier sanctions.
Pressure From Trump
The strikes come because the EU has come underneath stress from US President Donald Trump to squeeze Russia tighter as a situation for Washington to take punitive measures resembling sanctions or tariff hikes geared toward forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to come back to the negotiating desk.
In specific, Trump has referred to as for European nations to cease Russian oil imports. Only Hungary and Slovakia achieve this. Neither has voiced any willingness to cease, however current EU plans foresee an EU-wide ban on oil imports from Moscow by 2027.
This can be achieved utilizing inner market guidelines, which means the choice couldn’t be vetoed.
The proposals outlined on September 19 require unanimity. Previous sanctions packages have undergone quite a few amendments as Hungary, which has shut ties to Russia, has sought to water them down.
“Our sanctions chunk,” mentioned EU international coverage chief Kaja Kallas in an announcement additionally launched on September 19. “They have a visual affect on Russia’s public funds and financial progress. The European Union should reinforce these efforts collectively with its companions till peace is achieved.”
Kallas additionally responded to the Russian incursion into Estonian airspace, calling it an “extraordinarily harmful provocation.”
Other key gadgets within the new proposals are a full transaction ban on Russian banks and monetary establishments, together with these working in third nations, a ban on investments in Russian Special Economic Zones linked to the struggle, and additional measures on Chinese actors supporting Russia’s army trade.
“These new sanctions may also squeeze Russia’s entry to applied sciences together with AI and geospatial information, in addition to important assets that feed weapons manufacturing. This contains these obtained from international suppliers together with China and India,” Kallas mentioned.
For the primary time, the EU would additionally sanction platforms and embody a prohibition on transactions in cryptocurrencies.
There was, nonetheless, no transfer to ban Russian vacationer visas within the EU, which had been mentioned forward of the announcement.
Separately, Britain additionally introduced additional sanctions on September 19, hitting two shadow fleet oil tankers and two Georgian businessmen over their assist for Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
“The UK will proceed to ratchet up financial stress alongside our allies till Putin stops the bloodshed,” an official assertion mentioned.
Putin ‘Stringing Us Along’
Hours earlier than the package deal was introduced, the outgoing head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, or MI6 as it’s extra generally recognized, mentioned Russia had no want for peace in Ukraine.
Richard Moore, who steps down on the finish of September, was talking on the UK Consulate in Istanbul.
He mentioned there was “completely no proof” Russian President Vladimir Putin needed to genuinely negotiate, and that the Kremlin’s engagement in talks to this point was merely “stringing us alongside” whereas it continued its struggle of aggression in Ukraine.
“The difficulty has, and has all the time been, sovereignty. Putin denies Ukraine’s sovereignty and its very existence as a rustic and a nation,” he warned.
