Baltic presidents to meet EU chief over drone incidents

VILNIUS - The presidents of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will meet the European Commission chief in Vilnius on Tuesday to discuss a rise in drone incidents.

Gitanas Nauseda, Edgars Rinkevics, Alar Karis and Ursula von der Leyen will address the regional security situation, the enhancement of airspace monitoring and defense, and the development of anti-drone capabilities on NATO’s eastern flank, as well as the strengthening of the European defense industry, the President’s Office said on Monday.

The leaders also plan to discuss European Union support for strengthening Baltic defense capabilities, the protection of critical infrastructure and closer coordination in responding to regional security threats.

The region has recently seen a rise in cases of unmanned aerial vehicles entering Baltic airspace. While initially described as accidents or disoriented drones, suggestions of potential deliberate Russian actions have increasingly been raised in the public sphere.

Von der Leyen has said Russia and Belarus are directly responsible for the drone incidents in the Baltic region, calling Moscow’s threats unacceptable.

Meanwhile, Russian representatives at the United Nations have said Ukraine is planning drone launches from Baltic territory, but Latvia has categorically rejected these allegations as disinformation.