Earlier this month, Nato states Romania and Latvia saw Russian drones crash after breaching their airspace, prompting official calls for measures to act jointly to counter Russia air incursions.

The Dutch defence minister, Ruben Brekelmans, was asked about Russian incursions into airspace in an interview with Delfi, the Dutch media outlet. He said he condemns such violations, which he described as “dangerous” for their potential to escalate the conflict.

Brekelmans said Netherlands demonstrates its support to the Nato alliance by, for example, contributing F-35 fighter jets for “air policing” and deploying drones for surveillance.

He added:

I cannot make any specific statements yet about how we will deploy our systems, but we have to send a very clear signal and a very clear signal to Russia that these types of violations are not acceptable and Nato will act if necessary.The UK government’s position on whether Ukraine would be given permission to fire Storm Shadow weapons in Russia “remains unchanged”, a spokesperson for the prime minister says.

We remain in constant contact with the Ukrainians and will always listen to their position. As you can expect at UNGA (UN General Assembly), we will be focused on a number of issues; that includes ongoing support for Ukraine in their defence against Russia’s aggression, but also a ceasefire in Gaza and a deescalation of tensions in Lebanon amongst others.

On Storm Shadow, she added:

When it comes to that, our position remains unchanged. I think, as the PM said following his trip to Washington just last week, our ongoing discussions on Ukraine are not about one specific bit of military equipment. They are broader discussions about strategy and about how we support Ukraine during what is a crucial period over the next few months and as we enter winter.

Prior to a meeting with the US president Joe Biden during that trip, officials had said the UK prime minister Keir Starmer would press for Washington to back his plan to let Storm Shadow be used to strike inside Russia.Ukraine has accused Russia of seeking to illegally seize control of the strategically important Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait, as hearings opened at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in a high-stakes arbitration case between Kyiv and Moscow.

“Russia wants to take the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait for itself, and so it has built a great gate at the entrance to keep international shipping out while allowing small Russian river vessels in,” Ukrainian representative Anton Korynevych told a panel of arbitrators.

The gate he referred to is a bridge built by Russia across the Kerch Strait after the annexation of Crimea. The 19-kilometer (12-mile) bridge linking the Black and Azov seas carries road and rail traffic on separate sections and is vital to sustaining Russia’s military operations in southern Ukraine.

“The bridge is unlawful and it must come down,” Korynevych was quoted by the Associated Press as having told the arbitration panel.

Ukraine filed the case in 2016, two years after Russia annexed Crimea. It accuses Moscow of subsequently breaching a UN maritime treaty by building the bridge, barring Ukrainian fishermen from waters they traditionally fished, damaging the environment and plundering underwater archeological sites. Kyiv is seeking unspecified compensation.

Russia insists the arbitration court does not have jurisdiction and are arguing that the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait constitute “internal waters” that are not covered by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the treaty Ukraine alleges Russia is breaching.

“Ukraine’s accusations in this case are, of course, completely groundless and hopeless,” Russian Agent Gennady Kuzmin told the panel.

After Monday’s two opening statements, the panel hearings will continue for days behind closed doors. A final ruling could take years.