Baltic drone incidents underscore need for stronger NATO eastern flank, Lithuanian PM says

Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said on Tuesday that a recent increase in drone violations over the Baltic countries demonstrates the importance of maintaining a strong NATO posture along the alliance's eastern flank. She made the comments after a meeting of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) in Tallinn, Estonia, which included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a video call with French President Emmanuel Macron.

"Recent drone incidents underscore the importance of a strong NATO presence and credible deterrence across the alliance's entire eastern flank," Ruginienė stated.

The three Baltic states—Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, all sharing borders with Russia or Belarus—have seen a notable rise in airspace breaches in recent weeks. Lithuania issued two air raid alerts in late May due to suspected drone threats. On Monday, French fighter jets assigned to NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission, based in Šiauliai, Lithuania, shot down a drone that had been detected over Latvia.

During the Tallinn summit, Zelensky agreed to work with Nordic and Baltic partners on countering drones that cross borders as a result of Russian electronic warfare and jamming. The agreement includes technology supply, expertise sharing, specialist training, and broader security cooperation.

Ruginienė emphasized that Ukraine's combat experience provides valuable lessons. "Ukraine has unique experience, and we must learn from it," she said. "Ukraine's experience under the most difficult circumstances is something we can apply in our own countries."

The discussions also touched on regional competitiveness, defense industry supply chains, and the potential use of artificial intelligence in security. Ruginienė stressed that the NB8 group is most effective when acting together. The leaders issued joint statements reaffirming support for Ukraine, committing to strengthen defense industries and supply chains, and calling for sustained pressure on Russia.

The NB8 group consists of Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.