Following a series of incidents involving Russian drones near NATO’s eastern flank, allies are seeking ways to expedite the enhancement of air defense and drone threat response.
Drone (illustrative photo) / © Associated Press
NATO allies have discussed an accelerated drone procurement program to bolster air patrols along the Alliance’s eastern flank. This discussion occurred after a Russian drone crashed in Romania, causing injuries.
This is reported by Politico.
At a closed-door meeting, ambassadors from the 32 NATO countries debated whether the Alliance should urgently acquire more drones for aerial surveillance over frontline member states.
Romanian President Nicolae Ciucă stated after the meeting that Russia’s war against Ukraine continues to pose significant risks to Euro-Atlantic security, particularly in the Black Sea.
“Therefore, it is important for NATO to strengthen its presence and capabilities in Romania,” he wrote.
According to Ciucă, during the discussion, allies agreed to expedite NATO’s drone threat response projects. This is intended to allow for the approval of support measures for affected allies at the Alliance summit in Ankara next month.
The meeting took place following the incident in Romania, where a Russian drone crashed into an apartment building late last month, injuring two people. Following this, Bucharest urged an acceleration of NATO air defense system deliveries.
In recent weeks, the Alliance has also scrambled fighter jets to intercept suspected drones over Latvia and Estonia.
“As a result of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, we are observing an increase in drone incidents along our eastern flank,” stated NATO spokesperson Adrienne Watson.
However, it remains unclear when exactly allies might procure additional drones.
According to a NATO diplomat, the meeting added urgency to the implementation of specific drone utilization initiatives ahead of the Alliance leaders’ summit scheduled for July 7-8.
NATO possesses a limited number of its own military assets, as most of the Alliance’s equipment is provided by national governments. However, NATO can assist countries with the procurement of necessary equipment, which can later be transferred under the control of the Alliance’s military command.
During the discussions, allies also focused on threats to critical infrastructure in the Black Sea. Specifically, the Romanian Neptune Deep offshore gas exploration project, valued at 4 billion euros and scheduled to launch next year, was mentioned.
Countries discussed whether NATO’s military command should more actively monitor air and maritime threats from drones targeting such facilities.
According to diplomats, representatives from national military agencies also expressed readiness to deploy more air defense assets for monitoring and neutralizing drones flying over Romania.
NATO prepares for defense: latest news
It was previously reported that member states of the North Atlantic Alliance are actively discussing a new substantial financial commitment for military support to Ukraine amounting to 70 billion euros. This initiative is gaining particular relevance amid expert statements suggesting Kyiv is gradually tipping the scales in the war in its favor. The mechanism proposed by Germany aims to significantly enhance funding transparency and ensure a more equitable distribution of the financial burden among all NATO countries.
Meanwhile, several allies plan to **significantly strengthen air defense on NATO’s eastern flank** following the crash of a Russian drone in the Romanian city of Galați. Additional reinforcement will include new resources from partner nations, such as fighter jets and expanded radar coverage for detecting low-flying drones.
Concurrently, the United Kingdom has deployed its main **Challenger 2 main battle tanks directly near the border with Russia** in the Estonian county of Võru. This heavy equipment is actively participating in the Spring Storm exercises, where military personnel are practicing scenarios of a large-scale conflict with the Russian army.
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