Brussels – The European Union stands in solidarity with the Baltic states and considers Russian threats to be totally unacceptable. This position was set out by the European Commission’s Chief Spokesperson for Home Affairs, Anitta Hipper, during today’s (20 May) daily press briefing. “The EU stands united, and in solidarity with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, as well as with Finland, and Russian threats are simply unacceptable to us,” she said in response to journalists’ questions about incidents involving drones crossing borders. “First of all, if we look at what has just happened with the drone incursion into Lithuania, without Russia’s war of aggression, there would be no drones crashing into EU airspace. So the responsibility for everything that is happening now lies with Russia,” she added, emphasising that Brussels “commends NATO’s swift reaction in shooting down the drone.” Furthermore, “we have also noted the reactions of Ukraine and Estonia, which demonstrate once again how Russia’s war of aggression has far-reaching consequences.”
Yesterday (19 May), a drone crashed on Estonian soil after being shot down by a NATO jet, and Ukraine accused Russia of having diverted it towards the Baltic state. This is not an isolated incident; other cases have been reported in recent days. These drones crashed in Estonia, as confirmed by the Estonian Prime Minister, Kristen Michal, and in Lithuania, which today closed Vilnius Airport and issued an air threat alert. Latvia has also taken similar measures: in addition to urging residents living near the border with Russia to stay at home, it has requested NATO’s Baltic air police to intervene.
“A threat against one Member State is a threat against our entire Union,” commented the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on her social media channels. “Russia’s public threats against our Baltic States are absolutely unacceptable. Let there be no doubt about that,” she added. And she pointed the finger not only at “Russia and Belarus”, which “are directly responsible for the drones that endanger the lives and safety of people on our eastern flank.” Therefore, “Europe will respond with unity and strength,” von der Leyen specified. She added: “We will continue to strengthen the security of our eastern flank with a strong collective defence and preparedness at all levels.”
“Europe stands united against threats to its borders“, commented the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. “Our full solidarity goes out to all the people in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and on our eastern flank, who are facing dangers arising from hostile drone activities linked to Russia and Belarus. At times like these, Europe must continue to invest in security for the sake of stability, freedom, and peace,” she added.
During the Commission briefing, Hipper reminded that “Europe is taking concrete steps to address the growing threat posed by drones, which is why Member States have established a specific capability coalition dedicated to drones.” Among the tools are the Eastern Flank Watch, a programme for the surveillance and protection of the EU’s eastern borders, and the SAFE programme, an EU instrument providing loans of up to €150 billion to help Member States rapidly and significantly increase investment in the defence sector through joint procurement. The most important solution, however, remains support for Ukraine: “We continue to work to support Ukraine and to apply pressure where it is needed, namely on Russia,” emphasised Hipper, noting that “Russia’s war of aggression has far-reaching implications.”
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
