NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte agreed with President Donald Trump’s assessment that NATO countries should shoot down Russian planes, “if necessary.”

In a Thursday appearance on Fox News‘s Fox and Friends, Rutte was presented with Trump’s comments earlier this week, where he said he believed NATO countries should shoot down Russian jets if they violate their airspace again.

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“If so necessary, I agree with President Trump, if so necessary,” Rutte responded. 

“Our military … have trained, we know how to do this, for over 40, 50 years, Soviet era, and since with Russians we have incursions, that means that fighter pilots and military will constantly assess the situation and whether it is necessary to escort planes out of allied territory, the minimum,” he continued. “If so necessary, the president is right, we will also do more, and if necessary, the ultimate, to protect our people.”

Rutte, known for his close relationship with Trump even during times when the president is disillusioned with the alliance, centered most of his answers around praising Trump. He argued that the president has been consistent in his approach to the war in Ukraine since February, when he began peace talks with Moscow.

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Russian drones and fighter jets have violated NATO airspace several times over the past few weeks, sounding alarms throughout the alliance. Trump’s statement that NATO countries should shoot down Russian jets would mark a major escalation — the first direct clash between Russian and NATO forces.

On Thursday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command put out a press release saying it had scrambled three F-16s after detecting two Russian Tu-95s and two Su-35s operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone. The aircraft never violated American or Canadian airspace. The press release noted that Russian activity in the Alaskan ADIZ is common and not viewed as a threat.