Russia says Latvia could face retaliation despite NATO, drawing sharp US rebuke
Escalating Tensions Between Russia, Latvia, and NATO
By Andrea Shalal
Russian Claims and Warnings
May 19 (Reuters) - Russia's ambassador to the United Nations said on Tuesday Moscow had information that Ukraine planned to launch military drones from Latvia and other Baltic states, warning that membership in NATO would not protect those countries from retaliation.
The ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, speaking during a UN Security Council meeting on security in Ukraine, said Kyiv had already dispatched Ukrainian drone forces to Latvia and Russian intelligence could determine the launch sites for such aircraft.
Specific Threats to Latvia
"The foreign intelligence of Russia did say that the coordinates of decision-making centers in Latvia are well known, and membership in NATO will not protect you from retaliation, even if you are a member of NATO," Nebenzya said, speaking through an interpreter.
International Responses
Latvia and US Reactions
Latvia's envoy to the Security Council, Sanita Pavluta-Deslandes, immediately rejected the remarks as "pure fiction."
Tammy Bruce, the deputy U.S. ambassador to the UN, warned that the UN was "no place for threats against a council member" and said the U.S. would keep all its NATO commitments.
NATO's Collective Defense Principle
Bruce did not elaborate. NATO membership is based on collective defense, with Article 5 of the treaty saying that an armed attack against one NATO member shall be considered an attack against them all.
Ukrainian Response
Ukraine's envoy to the UN, Andriy Melnyk, also rejected Russia's claims, calling them "fairy tales" and noting that Russian attacks against Ukrainian civilians had made the first half of May one of the deadliest periods since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.
Recent Drone Incidents in the Baltic States
The Russian ambassador was speaking after Ukraine blamed Russia on Tuesday for redirecting one of its drones into Estonian airspace where a NATO jet shot it down, the latest cross-border drone incident that has caused a political uproar in the Baltic states.
Latvia's Air Threat Alerts
Latvia issued a first air threat alert over a possible drone entering its airspace on Tuesday, telling residents near the Russian border to stay indoors, with NATO Baltic Air Police jets summoned to the area. It later said it found no evidence that a drone had entered its airspace.
It declared a second air threat alert after that, over two counties bordering Russia, leading to a fresh deployment of NATO fighter jets.
Diplomatic Apologies and Denials
A Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson apologized to Estonia for the incident and insisted that Ukraine was not using Latvian or Estonian territory to launch drone attacks on Russia, which the Baltic countries echoed.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Editing by William Maclean)
