RIGA (Reuters) -Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics urged NATO on Saturday to increase its protection of the Baltic States, citing Russian violations of the alliance’s airspace, and adding to a similar call from Lithuania.

European leaders have said Russia has repeatedly violated NATO airspace, including in the Baltic States and Poland, where earlier this month around 20 Russian drones entered airspace, prompting NATO jets to shoot some of them down.

“Russia continues a pattern of provocations, most recently recklessly violating the airspace of Poland and Estonia,” Rinkevics told a meeting of NATO’s military committee in the Latvian capital, Riga.

“Transforming Baltic air policing to a Baltic air defence mission with respective rules of engagement should be a priority,” he said.

Lithuan

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