Von der Leyen to visit Lithuania after drone airspace incidents

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Lithuania on Tuesday, May 26, following recent incidents involving drones that violated the country’s airspace, three officials with knowledge of the visit, granted anonymity to share details, told POLITICO.

The European Commission chief is expected to meet with the presidents and prime ministers of the Baltic states to discuss the response to the incidents. The meeting will also include EU Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius.

According to one official familiar with the visit’s agenda, discussions will focus not only on showing solidarity but also on strengthening joint defence capabilities through European Commission financial instruments.

Earlier reports said that on May 21, an air alert was declared for more than an hour in Lithuania’s Utena County after two suspected drones entered its airspace. The devices later disappeared from radar, with assumptions that they either crashed or left the country’s airspace. 

Another air alert was later issued in parts of Lithuania due to a suspicious unmanned aircraft.

Similar incidents have recently been reported in other Baltic states as well as in Finland.

Last week, Ursula von der Leyen stated that Russia and Belarus bear direct responsibility for drone activity in the Baltic region, adding that public threats from Moscow are completely unacceptable.

By Jeyhun Aghazada