Germany sends jets to intercept Russian spy plane over Baltic Sea

Two German Eurofighter jets were scrambled yesterday to intercept a Russian military aircraft above the Baltic Sea, as Estonia said it would call an emergency meeting of the UN security council after Russian planes violated its airspace.

- Luke Harding

Germany's air force said the Russian Il-20M reconnaissance plane had switched off its transponders and ignored requests to make contact. The Eurofighters took off from the Rostock-Laage airbase to the aircraft as it flew in international airspace.

Tensions between Nato and Russia have been dramatically rising after a series of what European governments say are deliberate, provocative acts by the Kremlin. On Friday, three Russian MiG-31 fighters violated Estonian airspace in the Gulf of Finland. Moscow denies this.

Asked if the US was willing to defend EU countries from further Russian aggression, Donald Trump on Sunday said: "Yeah, I would." Earlier the US president said he "didn't like" Russia's jet incursion but that he had not been briefed about it.

Estonia condemned the Kremlin's "brazen" behaviour. It said it was convening an emergency security council meeting for the first time in 34 years of Estonia's UN membership. World leaders are gathering this week in New York for the UN general assembly.