Lithuania urges NATO to respond more forcefully to drone incidents

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys has called on NATO to adopt a more forceful and coordinated response to drone-related incidents, following a recent case in which a Russian drone crashed into a residential building in Romania.

Speaking to journalists on Saturday, May 30, Budrys argued that the alliance missed an opportunity to respond more assertively. “In this particular case, NATO really should have responded more decisively,” he said, according to LRT.

He pointed to previous incidents in Poland as evidence that stronger reactions can be effective. “We have successful examples. The way NATO responded to incidents in Poland showed that it is possible to push these incidents away from the border and force Russia to take additional precautions. Such decisions should be taken along the entire front line,” Budrys stated.

The Lithuanian minister also highlighted the European Union’s role in strengthening regional security and preventing similar incidents. He suggested that planned EU financial mechanisms could have been deployed earlier to enhance defensive capabilities. “The financial instruments of the European Union that we are planning could have been implemented much earlier — through counter-drone measures and other comprehensive steps to increase resilience,” he said.

Budrys further stressed the need to expand NATO’s operational presence, particularly in air policing and border security. He proposed increasing the number of fighter jets assigned to patrol missions and tightening control along sensitive borders.

“We have the opportunity to show that this comes at a certain cost. Not necessarily by striking back, but by increasing the number of fighter jets, strengthening patrols, and applying pressure directly at the border. This is how we must respond,” he added.

By Tamilla Hasanova