Russia seeks discord, europe responds with unity, says Von der Leyen

"Russia wants to sow discord. We are responding with unity. It was Italian NATO pilots who escorted Russian jets out of Estonian airspace — this is solidarity in action," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a plenary debate on a unified EU response to recent Russian airspace violations.

"But we must not only react — we must deter," she continued. "If we hesitate to act, the grey zone will only expand. The mission of the European Union is to preserve peace. And today, that means having the capacity to deter aggression and provocation. We must urgently equip ourselves with a strategic response capability."