Russian drone attacks in Poland and Romania are a reminder of the need to protect the whole of Europe, the President of the European Council says.
According to Romanian authorities, a Russian drone entered its airspace over the weekend.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called it a “serious and unacceptable breach of Romania’s sovereignty”.
It follows last week’s incursion by an estimated 19 Russian drones into Polish airspace resulting in a scrambling of NATO jets.
At least three drones were shot down.
President of the European Council, António Costa, is three weeks into a tour of EU capitals ahead of next month’s meeting of EU27 leaders including the Taoiseach in Brussels.
He has not yet visited Dublin.
Speaking this morning in Athens, President Costa said:
“Our first idea comes to the eastern border and the threat coming from Russia. But we can never forget that we need to have a 360 degree approach on our security. And of course Russia is our biggest threat.
This invasion of our airspace in Poland and in Romania is the closest examples, but we have other borders.
We need to protect our borders from Cyprus to Finland, from Portugal to Romania and for this it is very important to work together.”
The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said Russia had committed a “blatant violation of their [Polish and Romanian] airspace.
As members of an EU member state that does not give in to revisionism, we agree that no violation of our sovereign rights and sovereign area can take place.”