Poland, Latvia and Romania call for immediate reinforcement of air defences on NATO’s eastern flank
The defence ministers of Romania, Poland and Latvia have signed a joint letter to the allies, which emphasises the need to immediately implement a NATO air defence rotation model and strengthen NATO's deterrence, surveillance, reconnaissance and air patrol activities on the eastern flank of the Alliance.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by Delfi with reference to the Ministry of Defence of Latvia.
It is noted that the decision was made after a series of incidents with Russian drones that violated NATO airspace.
During the "Bucharest Nine" meeting, Latvian Defence Minister Andris Sprūds called on Allies to find immediate collective solutions to strengthen NATO's airspace.
The meeting, initiated by Latvia, brought together representatives from Romania, Poland and Lithuania to discuss recent violations of NATO airspace by Russian drones, as well as steps to be taken at the national and alliance level to strengthen NATO airspace. The defence ministers of Romania, Poland and Latvia signed a joint letter to the Allies.
According to the Ministry of Defence, Russian aggression continues to pose risks and threats to NATO countries, including violations of airspace by Russian drones. Over the past month, incidents involving Russian drones have occurred not only in Latvia, but also in Romania and Poland. This is a new reality that must not be ignored and must be addressed, Spruds stressed.
Ministers believe that NATO nations should strengthen their ability to detect, identify and neutralise low and slow flying objects, and that air defence rotation should be implemented immediately.
In a joint statement, the "Bucharest Nine" Ministers condemned Russia's war against Ukraine. The ministers also strongly condemned Russia for repeated violations of NATO airspace in Latvia, Romania, Poland and other Allied countries.
What is the "Bucharest Nine"?
Established in 2015, the "Bucharest Nine" (B9) is an initiative comprising Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, all former members of the Soviet Union or Warsaw Pact and now members of NATO and the EU. The aim of the initiative is to deepen military cooperation between the countries, as well as to discuss key security policy issues.
In June 2024, the B9 leaders in Riga discussed excluding or limiting Hungary's participation due to its position on Ukraine.
As a reminder, the wreckage of missiles and drones used by Russia to attack Ukraine has been found on the territory of NATO countries on more than one occasion. Such actions by Russia are "potentially dangerous".
