After numerous drone incidents, Baltic States want more NATO backing
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania want to press NATO allies for more help with air defence after the latest drone incidents in the Baltic region.
The three countries, all members of NATO and the European Union, said on Thursday they want to make a coordinated response to what they say are Moscow’s false claims that they are making their territory and airspace available for Ukrainian attacks against Russia.
The comments were made by the Lithuanian presidential office after a phone call between the three presidents and issued in a joint statement.
“We see a clear attempt to escalate tensions in our region while simultaneously conducting a coordinated disinformation campaign against the Baltic States,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said after talks with his counterparts Alar Karis of Estonia and Edgars Rinkēvičs of Latvia, according to the statement.
“We must remain united, strengthen our air defence and counter-drone capabilities, and together seek even greater attention from NATO allies to the security of the eastern flank,” Nausėda underlined.
Call for more air defence and presence
In the joint statement, the heads of state stressed the need to further strengthen NATO’s air defence capabilities in the region. This includes deploying additional counter-drone systems and moving from airspace surveillance alone to comprehensive air defence. Earlier, the armed forces in Latvia and Lithuania again reported a drone alert in the airspace in the east of the two countries near the border with Russia and Belarus.
