Three officials familiar with the visit plans – who wished to remain anonymous – told Politico that von der Leyen will meet with the heads of state and government of the Baltic countries to support coordination. Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius will also go to Lithuania.
Drone crisis in Lithuania
In addition to showing “solidarity with the Baltic states,” the visit will aim to strengthen common defense capabilities through the Commission's flagship financing and planning programs, one official said.
The incident came after two Ukrainian drones intended for Russia fell on an empty oil storage facility in Latvia earlier this month – triggering a crisis that led to the collapse of the ruling coalition. Last week, a NATO aircraft shot down a drone in Estonian airspace.
“Russia's public threats against our Baltic states are completely unacceptable,” von der Leyen said in a social media post last week. “Russia and Belarus bear direct responsibility for drones that threaten the lives and safety of people on our eastern flank. Europe will respond united and decisive.”
The three Baltic countries warned that Moscow was trying to use the incidents to drive a wedge between Ukraine and its EU allies – issuing a joint statement rejecting “Russia's blatant disinformation campaign and its fabricated accusations following airspace violations that Russia shamelessly uses to hide its military defeats.”
In February, the EU launched a plan to strengthen its frontline countries amid fears that Russia's war in Ukraine and hybrid tactics could harm local economies. The European Commission is also working on plans to help countries strengthen their air defense capabilities through joint acquisition and development programs.
