Estonia requested Article 4 consultations with its NATO allies after three armed Russian warplanes breached its airspace for 12 minutes on September 19.

During the talks on Tuesday, the allies showed strong solidarity with Estonia.  Tsahkna said the main point of NATO's message is to emphasize the unity of the 32-member alliance.

"Putin wants to create a rift between Europe and the United States. He has not been able to do that. The fact that the NATO Council convened at our request under Article 4 shows very clearly that unity stands behind these consultations. In addition, the strengthening of Eastern Sentry is a very important signal. It brings in additional capabilities, so I believe this was a sufficient message and NATO's statement was very strong," the minister told ERR.

Eastern Sentry was launched on September 12 after more than a dozen Russian drones breached Poland's airspace earlier this month. Smaller scale incidents have occurred in Romania, Latvia and Lithuania.

Tsahkna said NATO plans to strengthen the entire eastern flank and intends to increase focus on air defense, NATO presence, and deterrence measures.

"This is a very important message for us at the political level. Now military planning will move forward to determine exactly what will take place, along with the addition of active exercises in our region. All of this deters Russia, strengthens our capabilities, but most importantly, shows that NATO is united, that we can act immediately at the military level regarding NATO air defense missions, and that we are reinforcing the entire eastern flank," the foreign minister explained.

'We are not alone'

Friday's incursion made headlines around the world. Tsahkna said the attention is very beneficial for Estonia, as it demonstrates how aggressive Russia actually is.

"Globally, everyone understands that Russia is an aggressive state and that Estonia is not alone. What Russia is doing in Europe, what it has done in Poland and Romania, all fits into the bigger picture, and we must speak about it. The worst thing would be to deny Russia's aggressiveness and the fact that it is acting not only against Ukraine but against the broader European security architecture," he said.

On Monday, the minister spoke at a session of the United Nations Security Council called by Estonia after the airspace violation.

"The support we have received at the UN has been overwhelming. The Estonian people can be reassured. When we decided in the early 1990s that we would never be left alone again, that is exactly the case today – we are not alone," Tsahkna said.

Estonia has also received attention and support from countries with which it does not have strong diplomatic ties at the UN General Assembly this week.

"They say, 'We are with you,' because the violation of territorial integrity — that is, changing borders by military means — is what globally concerns almost every country. Estonia is clearly in the spotlight after yesterday's Security Council meeting," Tsahkna said, adding that this also provides a greater opportunity to highlight the situation in Ukraine.

Speaking at a press conference after the consultations, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said it makes no difference whether the Russian fighter jets' intrusion into Estonian airspace was intentional or not, and such behavior will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

Each incident in which Russia provokes and violates borders will be addressed separately and met with an appropriate response, he added.

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