Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said Tuesday that amid increasing violations of Baltic airspace, the European Union is expected to take concrete action rather than issue messages of solidarity.
The president spoke following a meeting in Vilnius on Tuesday between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the presidents of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
"The skies over the Baltic states are not safe enough today; the European Union's eastern border is facing increasing pressure: from drone incursions to electronic jamming, information attacks and sabotage threats against critical infrastructure," Nauseda said on Tuesday.
According to him, this is the reason for the visit of the Commission president and other Baltic leaders to Vilnius.
"We appreciate the clear message of solidarity shown by the European Commission to the Baltic states, but today solidarity in words alone is no longer enough; Europe must take swift and concrete action," Nauseda said.
The leaders' meeting in the Lithuanian capital was organised following a series of drone incidents in the Baltic states.
EU chief says Baltic drone incidents part of Russian destabilisation strategy
The European Commission president said that drone incidents in the Baltic states are part of a deliberate Russian strategy aimed at destabilising societies.
"These are not isolated incidents. This is a deliberate Russian strategy to try to destabilise our democratic societies," von der Leyen told a press conference in the Lithuanian capital.
She said that Russia was failing to achieve its goals as Baltic citizens demonstrated resilience. She also recalled instances of instrumentalised migration and emphasised European Union unity with Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Von der Leyen said the European Union was investing in anti-drone capabilities, advanced air defence and critical infrastructure protection, adding that the Baltic states will receive an additional 12 billion euros through the SAFE programme.
"We have already signed the SAFE plan with Lithuania and are ready to sign similar plans with Latvia and Estonia," she said.
The Commission president said 1.5 billion euros from the Cohesion Fund had been directed to the Baltic states for defence readiness, border surveillance and economic security.
"We have essentially adapted current instruments to the new reality and will maintain the same approach in the next long-term budget," von der Leyen said.
She added that the European Union is strengthening warning systems and cross-border coordination, while seeking to better integrate national systems with the EU space programmes Copernicus and Galileo.
According to von der Leyen, a joint assessment of existing anti-drone and early warning capabilities in the region could be conducted with NATO to identify gaps and accelerate their closure.
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