According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga has requested that Romania shoot down Russian drones approaching Romanian airspace during a meeting with his Romanian counterpart, Luminita Odobescu in Bucharest
The report notes that politicians and military officials in Romania have been debating whether changes to the legislation are needed to allow the country to shoot down foreign drones in its own airspace.
Previously, the Romanian Ministry of Defense reported that drone fragments, similar to those used by Russia, had been found on the country’s territory, and this information was shared with allies. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the alliance had no evidence of a deliberate attack in the context of the drone incident. Bucharest has sent several notes of protest to the Russian Embassy, including for violating Romanian airspace.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry claims that the Romanian authorities have no evidence that the discovered fragments belong to Russia. The ministry added that Moscow views Romania’s demarche as another example of the “highly likely” concept, where the audience is being convinced of something without providing facts.
Over the past few years, Russia has also been claiming unprecedented NATO activity near its western borders. The alliance is expanding its initiatives, calling it a deterrent to Russian aggression. Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern over the buildup of alliance forces in Europe. The Kremlin has stated that Russia poses no threats to anyone, but will not ignore actions that could potentially harm its interests.
