Russia Will Act As We Allow It: Czech President

The President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, emphasized that NATO countries must respond quickly to violations of their airspace by Russian military aircraft. “This includes a military response. Russia will quickly understand that it made a mistake and crossed the line. Unfortunately, this is a balance on the brink of conflict, but yielding to evil is simply impossible,” Pavel stated during a broadcast on Czech television.

He underscored that Russian aircraft should be shot down. “The violation of airspace is an excuse to activate defensive mechanisms and, therefore, to shoot down such aircraft. And, of course, no one wants this—neither on our side nor on the Russian side,” explained the Czech leader. Pavel highlighted that “Russia will act as we allow it.”