“A danger to us all.” International leaders condemn Russia's actions, in a wave of messages of solidarity with Romania after the incident in Galați

“Russia's reckless behavior is a danger to all of us,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said after the incident in Galați, where a drone crashed on a block of flats overnight Thursday into Friday. For their part, officials from the EU, the US and beyond have condemned Russia's actions and sent messages of solidarity with our country.

• The Galați incident is treated as a central topic in the most important international publications, such as the BBC or The Guardian.

Mark Rutte, who had a discussion with President Nicușor Dan, reiterated that “NATO is ready to defend every centimeter of allied territory”, according to AFP.

The supreme commander of the allied forces in Europe, the American general Alexus Grynkewich, discussed with the head of the Romanian Army about what happened, the alliance stated.

Reactions from the EU summit

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Russia's “war of aggression” had “crossed yet another line”. She promised that the EU bloc would increase deterrence measures on the eastern border.

“We express our full solidarity with Romania and its people. As we continue to strengthen our security and deterrence capacity, especially on our eastern border, we will continue to increase pressure on Russia. We are preparing the 21st sanctions package,” she added.

The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, also sent a message of “solidarity and full support for Romania”.

“The escalation of Russia's actions on EU territory is imprudent and irresponsible. I strongly condemn this violation of Romania's national airspace and international law. The EU is united in efforts to intensify pressure on Russia through sanctions and by strengthening defense capabilities, especially along our eastern border,” the official added.

The US condemned the incident

The US ambassador to NATO sent a message of solidarity with our country, condemning the incident in Galați.

“We stand with Romania and condemn this incursion into its territory,” said Matt Whitaker, on Friday, in a post on the X platform.

“We stand with Romania, our NATO ally, and condemn this reckless incursion from its territory. Our thoughts go out to the wounded in Galați. We will defend every inch of NATO territory,” added the American ambassador.

Republican Congressman Joe Wilson said that “deterrence is the only way to stop Russia's perverse actions,” as “Russia only understands the language of force.”

“Russia, in a belligerent and unprovoked manner, attacked Romania. Families sleeping in their homes are the target of war criminal Putin's Iranian missiles and drones,” he wrote, in a harsh message on X.

Great Britain: “We stand shoulder to shoulder with Romania”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that Russia's actions “threaten the security of our entire continent”.

“Again and again, Russia has shown that it has no respect for civilian life, for international law or for the sovereignty of its neighbors. This must not be allowed. We stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, Romania and all our NATO allies in the face of Russian aggression”, declared the head of the government in London, through a press release.

Austria summoned the Russian ambassador

Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger announced that she had summoned Russia's ambassador to Vienna “to clearly express Austria's protest against Russia's escalation,” according to France 24.

“Europe will not be intimidated,” she declared in a post on X.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, in turn, summoned the Russian ambassador from Bucharest for talks.

How Germany and France reacted

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned Russia's “reckless” actions and warned that they showed Moscow's willingness to escalate tensions.

Germany “stands with NATO allies,” he said in a post on X.

“The incident once again underlines the need for a strong NATO position on the eastern flank. We are prepared to defend every inch of allied territory,” the head of government in Berlin emphasized.

France announced that it will ask the Russian ambassador for an explanation regarding the incident in Galati.

“We are dealing with an irresponsible act involving a drone, and it is not the first time. On several occasions, Russian drones and other aircraft have penetrated the airspace of the European Union and NATO,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told France Inter radio on Friday.

Barrot had already summoned the Russian ambassador for talks earlier this week following Russian airstrikes in Ukraine at the end of last week.

France has around 1,500 soldiers deployed in Romania as part of the alliance's defense posture.

The Baltic countries also condemned the incident

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvič said his country “is ready to support appropriate measures to prevent” such incidents.

“Latvia expresses its full solidarity with Romania, our ally,” he declared.

The Prime Minister of Lithuania, Inga Ruginienė, said that the incident in Romania is a signal that it is time to put “maximum pressure” on Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

“We express our full solidarity with Romania and its people. Once again, this incident underlines the urgent need to exert maximum pressure on Russia to end its brutal and criminal war, to provide stronger support to Ukraine and to take decisive steps to strengthen NATO's eastern flank,” Ruginienė wrote in a message on X.

Zelensky: Ukraine, ready to support Romania “in any necessary way”

Ukraine's president said his country would support Romania “in any way necessary” and called for increased pressure on Russia.

“We count on the fact that the new sanctions of the European Union against Russia will be really firm and will make Russia feel that its attacks mean significant losses for Russia itself,” said Volodymyr Zelensky, on X.

Maia Sandu: “Russia must be stopped”

The President of the Republic of Moldova condemned the incident in Galati and said that Russia “must be stopped”.

“It is serious. The Republic of Moldova is fully in solidarity with Romania and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured in Galati. Russia is a danger for everyone and must be stopped,” said President Maia Sandu.