At a meeting in Vilnius with the Presidents of the Baltic States and the President of the European Commission, President Alar Karis stressed that Europe must more rapidly strengthen its air and counter-drone defence capabilities and continue its steadfast support for Ukraine.

“Recent drone incidents in our region clearly demonstrate that the security situation on Europe’s eastern flank remains serious and that Russia continues to exert pressure on Europe’s borders,” said President Karis.

According to the Head of State, these are not isolated incidents.

“Together with migratory pressure, border provocations, and disinformation campaigns, these airspace violations are part of a broader pattern aimed at intimidating us, testing our preparedness, and creating uncertainty,” he noted.

President Karis emphasized that the response to such actions must be calm, coordinated, and resolute.

According to President Karis, security on Europe’s eastern flank is not only a Baltic concern.

“What happens on Europe’s eastern flank affects the security of the entire European Union and the Alliance. Defending Europe’s eastern border means defending all of Europe,” said the President of the Republic.

The Head of State stated that Russia’s objective is to increase pressure in order to weaken support for Ukraine.

“Therefore, the most important task is to remain united, maintain composure, and continue supporting Ukraine politically, militarily, economically, and diplomatically,” President Karis said.

President Karis noted that, as this concerns both NATO’s and the European Union’s external border and airspace, Estonia, together with its Baltic and Nordic partners, will continue investing in air and counter-drone defence capabilities as well as situational awareness.

He stressed that Europe must move toward faster and more concrete action.

“An urgent priority is to strengthen drone detection and multilayered air defence. European projects of common interest in defence, particularly Eastern Flank Watch, must become reality much more quickly,” said the Head of State, highlighting the importance of increased EU support.

President Karis also underlined the need to strengthen cooperation between the European and Ukrainian defence industries and to ensure that the European Union’s next long-term budget better reflects the security needs of the eastern flank, including the protection of critical infrastructure.

“The European Union’s next budget must provide greater support for protecting critical infrastructure in frontline regions and enhancing their ability to recover quickly,” he said.

The meeting in Vilnius was attended by President Alar Karis, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs, President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, and European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius.

Photos (Office of the President of Lithuania / Robertas Dačkus):
https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCUYgd