Baltic states seek €500 million from EU to strengthen drone defences

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have jointly requested €500 million in additional funding from the European Commission to strengthen drone defences in the Baltic region, according to Finnish newspaper Iltalehti.

The three countries sent a letter to the European Commission on September 21, signed by Estonian Defence Minister Martin Herem, Latvian Defence Minister Raivis Melnis and Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas, according to foreign and security policy sources cited by the Finnish newspaper.

The letter was not made public. According to the sources, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has received it.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are seeking urgent additional EU support to strengthen their defences amid what they describe as an increased threat from Russia in recent months.

The three countries expect a response from the European Commission within a few weeks and hope the EU can provide additional funding for regional drone defence as early as 2026.

According to the sources, strengthening drone defences is considered urgent because of concerns that Russia could seek to test NATO’s Article 5 by carrying out drone strikes against the alliance’s eastern flank.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are considered in many NATO threat assessments to be among the countries most directly exposed to the Russian threat.

By Sabina Mammadli