EU blames Russia for drone incidents over European territory
Drone incidents in which unmanned aircraft have crossed into European countries are “a direct result of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” the European Council declared following the first day of the EU summit in Brussels on June 18–19.
The declaration specifically cited the incident in which a drone struck a residential building in Romania. Romanian authorities maintained that the drone was of Russian manufacture.
“The recent incident in which a Russian drone carrying explosives crashed into a residential building in Romania as well as similar incidents in other [EU] Member States are a direct result of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and threaten the security of EU citizens and regional stability,” the statement said.
The European Council said it “strongly condemns the repeated violations of Member States’ airspace and territorial waters” of EU member states.
“Russia bears full responsibility for the consequences of its escalatory behavior and its continued military actions,” the statement said.
The declaration also outlined plans to further intensify pressure on Russia and continue weakening its military economy. Deutsche Welle noted that all 27 EU member states endorsed the joint statement — the first time that has happened since December 2024. Previously, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had blocked agreement on such a document.
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