Key points
- Romania condemns airspace violation
- NATO allies frustrated with US response to intrusion
- Poland also reports drone breach
MOSCOW: The Russian embassy in Bucharest has labelled a drone incursion into Romanian airspace as a “provocation” by Ukraine, hours after Romania’s foreign ministry summoned Moscow’s envoy to lodge a formal protest over the incident.
The diplomatic flare-up comes amid heightened regional tensions as Russia’s war in Ukraine spills over into NATO’s eastern flank.
Ambassador Vladimir Lipayev said Romania’s charge that Russia was responsible for the intrusion was “unfounded”, AFP news agency reported, citing an embassy statement.
“All the facts lead one to believe that it was a deliberate provocation by the Kyiv regime,” the statement read.
Entry of Russian drone
Romania on Sunday strongly condemned the entry of a Russian drone into its airspace during an attack on neighbouring Ukraine.
The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador to Bucharest, Vladimir Lipaev, over the incident.
The incursion comes days after fellow NATO member Poland said it had shot down Russian drones which had violated its airspace as Moscow launched a barrage against Ukraine.
“Dismayed and confused”
European NATO states are reportedly “dismayed and confused” by Washington’s reaction to an alleged Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace, according to Reuters.
Some members of the bloc view US President Donald Trump’s reluctance to outright blame Moscow for the incident on Wednesday as a sign that he is not committed enough to their defence, the news agency reported on Saturday, citing unnamed European officials.
US aircraft also played no role in repelling the alleged attack, according to Reuters.
