West must be resolute on Putin

The first direct military clash between the US and Russia since the start of the Ukraine war – the outrageous attack by Vladimir Putin’s warplanes on a US surveillance drone operating in international airspace – is an ominous development that demands a resolute response. Assurances by the White House that it will not be intimidated by the incident on Tuesday – when two Russian Su-27 fighters tried to blind the $47m MQ-9 Reaper drone by dumping fuel on its fuselage, then deliberately clipping its propellers – are vital. According to the Pentagon, the drone was ditched into the sea west of Crimea, close to the conflict zone.

It is imperative the US and its allies leave Mr Putin in no doubt that his gross mid-air lawlessness will not be tolerated and could lead to what the US European Military Command warned could be an “unintended escalation” in the conflict. While arming Kyiv and helping Ukraine with a constant flow of essential overhead intelligence provided by drones and other aircraft, the US and its NATO allies have been at pains to avoid direct conflict with Russia. That underlines the potentially serious consequences of the mid-air attack on the drone. NATO’s former supreme allied commander, US Air Force General Philip Breedlove, has suggested the attack may reflect Russian frustration: “Russia is trying to change the narrative … they are so desperate to send the message that they (can) actually strike something American.”

That remains to be confirmed. Not in doubt is that the attack introduces a significant element into the conflict and that the Russian tyrant must be disabused of any belief he can target US and NATO aircraft in international airspace. Intelligence gathered by drones is vital to the fight against Mr Putin’s contravention of every tenet of the UN charter and international law.

Neither the US nor its NATO allies – or any other country helping Ukraine – must allow themselves to be intimidated by his grotesque mid-air thuggery.