Photo: EPA
Czech President Petr Pavel urged NATO to “show its teeth” and take a tougher stance against Russia, including potentially shooting down Russian aircraft violating allied airspace and disconnecting Russia from the internet, according to The Guardian.
Pavel said the Alliance should respond more forcefully to what he described as Russia’s repeated attempts to test NATO’s resolve on its eastern flank. He argued that without a tougher response, the Kremlin could escalate its provocations even further.
The 64-year-old retired general and former chair of NATO’s Military Committee said Moscow has learned how to operate just below the threshold that would trigger Article 5 collective defense measures.
“When I asked Russian military leaders why they staged these provocations in the air or flew dangerously close to ships in the Black and Baltic Seas, they answered: ‘Because we can.’ That’s exactly the kind of behavior we allowed,” Pavel said.
According to him, if Russian violations of NATO airspace continue, the Alliance may eventually need to make the decision to shoot down both drones and manned aircraft.
Pavel also proposed considering asymmetrical measures that would avoid casualties but still send a strong signal to Moscow.
“For example, disconnecting internet or satellite services — you’ve seen the impact Starlink had on the battlefield — or cutting Russian banks off from the financial system,” he said.
The Czech president also expressed disappointment with what he sees as insufficient pressure on Russia from the United States, though he stopped short of directly criticizing Donald Trump.
At the same time, Pavel argued that Europe lacks a coherent long-term strategy toward Russia and warned that NATO risks internal divisions and slower decision-making if allies continue relying mostly on diplomacy.
He added that Europe and the U.S. should intensify sanctions pressure on Moscow to force Russia toward meaningful negotiations over the war in Ukraine.
