European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to visit Lithuania on Tuesday following a series of drone incursions into the country’s airspace last week, according to media reports.
The visit was first reported by Politico, citing three unnamed sources.
Von der Leyen is expected to meet Baltic leaders to discuss a coordinated response to the incidents. European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius is also expected to attend.
According to an official familiar with the agenda, the visit is intended not only as a show of solidarity but also as an opportunity to discuss strengthening collective defence capabilities through European Commission funding mechanisms.
On May 21, an air alert was issued in Lithuania’s Utena district after two suspected drones entered the country’s airspace. The objects later disappeared from radar and are believed either to have crashed or left Lithuanian territory. A day earlier, another air alert was declared across eastern Lithuania, including the capital, Vilnius, after radar detected another suspected drone.
Similar incidents have recently been reported in other Baltic states and in Finland.
Last week, Von der Leyen said Russia and Belarus bore direct responsibility for the drone incidents in the Baltic region, adding that public threats made by Russia against the Baltic states were completely unacceptable.
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