President Karis in Vilnius: the security of Europe’s eastern flank concerns the security of Europe as a whole

President Alar Karis stressed the need for Europe to speed up the strengthening of its air and drone defences and to continue its strong support for Ukraine at a meeting of Baltic heads of state and the President of the European Commission in Vilnius.

"Recent drone incidents in our region clearly show that the security situation on Europe's eastern flank remains serious and Russia continues to put pressure on the borders of Europe," said President Karis.

According to the head of state, these are not isolated cases. "Together with migratory pressure, border provocations and disinformation campaigns, these airspace violations are part of a wider pattern designed to scare us, test our preparedness and sow uncertainty," he said.

President Karis emphasised that the response to such steps must be calm, coordinated and firm.

According to President Karis, the security of Europe's eastern flank does not concern the Baltic region alone. "What is happening on Europe's eastern flank concerns the security of the entire European Union and the Alliance," said the President of the Republic. "Protecting the eastern border of Europe means protecting Europe as a whole."

According to the head of state, Russia's aim is to increase pressure in order to reduce support for Ukraine. "Therefore, the most important thing is to remain united, to keep the peace and to continue supporting Ukraine politically, militarily, economically and diplomatically," said President Karis.

The head of state noted that since the external borders and airspace of both NATO and the European Union are at stake, Estonia and its Baltic and Nordic partners will continue to invest in air and drone defence and situational awareness.

President Karis emphasised that Europe must move to faster and more concrete action. "Reinforcing drone detection and multi-layered air defence is an urgent priority. European defence projects of common interest, especially the Eastern Flank Watch, must become a reality much faster," said the head of state, who considered greater EU support important.

President Karis also underlined the need to strengthen cooperation between the European and Ukrainian defence industries and to ensure that the next long-term budget of the European Union gives more attention to the security needs of the eastern flank, including the protection of critical infrastructure: "The next budget of the European Union must provide more support to protect critical infrastructure in frontline regions and their ability to recover quickly."

The meeting in Vilnius was attended by President Alar Karis, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs, President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda and European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius.

Photos (Office of the President of Lithuania/Robertas Dačkus): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCUYgd