EU chief says Baltic drone incidents part of Russian destabilisation strategy

VILNIUS - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during a visit to Vilnius that drone incidents in the Baltic states are part of a deliberate Russian strategy aimed at destabilising societies.

"These are not isolated incidents. This is a deliberate Russian strategy to try to destabilise our democratic societies," von der Leyen told a press conference in the Lithuanian capital.

The Commission chief noted that Russia is failing to achieve its goals as Baltic citizens demonstrate resilience. She also recalled instances of instrumentalised migration and emphasised European Union unity with Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Von der Leyen said the European Union is investing in anti-drone capabilities, advanced air defence and critical infrastructure protection, adding that the Baltic states will receive an additional 12 billion euros through the SAFE programme.

"We have already signed the SAFE plan with Lithuania and are ready to sign similar plans with Latvia and Estonia. We are currently investing in anti-drone capabilities, advanced air defence and the protection of critical infrastructure," she said.

The Commission president said 1.5 billion euros from the Cohesion Fund had been directed to the Baltic states for defence readiness, border surveillance and economic security.

"We have essentially adapted current instruments to the new reality and will maintain the same approach in the next long-term budget," von der Leyen said.

She added that the European Union is strengthening warning systems and cross-border coordination, while seeking to better integrate national systems with the EU space programmes Copernicus and Galileo.

According to von der Leyen, a joint assessment of existing anti-drone and early warning capabilities in the region could be conducted with NATO to identify gaps and accelerate their closure.