After the incidents with the downing of Ukrainian drones, the Baltic countries made a joint statement
Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania stated that the incidents of Ukrainian drones crashing on their territory confirm the need to strengthen air defense on NATO’s eastern flank. These states also emphasized their support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression.
In a joint statement, the defense ministers of the three countries noted that their states are already taking decisive measures and attach paramount importance to the development of their own air defense system.
“However, recent incidents caused by Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine demonstrate the importance of further strengthening multi-layered air defense,” the statement said.
The ministers also noted that this week several foreign drones violated NATO airspace and fell on the territory of the Baltic states.
The document emphasizes that while an investigation is ongoing to establish all the circumstances and details, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania remain firm in their support for Ukraine’s defensive actions against Russia and its legitimate right to self-defense.
Separately, the ministers emphasized that NATO should accelerate work on strengthening air defense, in particular in terms of countering drones:
“Allies must urgently strengthen the capabilities necessary for effective detection and interception. The current presence of NATO aircraft and air defense systems in the Baltic countries must be maintained and further strengthened to counter all air threats, including unmanned aerial vehicles.”
The countries also stressed in a joint statement that in the long term, it is necessary to significantly increase and clearly direct the EU’s defense funding, in particular to strengthen its eastern border through initiatives such as Eastern Flank Watch and the “European Initiative to Counter Unmanned Aerial Vehicles”.
Earlier, during a series of Ukrainian attacks on Russian ports near St. Petersburg, several drones went off course and ended up on the territory of the Baltic states, two of which crashed in Latvia and Estonia.
On March 23, a drone flew into Lithuania from the territory of Belarus and exploded more than 20 kilometers from the border. The Prime Minister of Lithuania confirmed that it was a Ukrainian drone.
