Baltic States Urge NATO to Shoot Down Russian Drones and Improve Air Defences in Member States Bordering Russia

Lithuanian Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas has called for a change in the algorithm of NATO's air patrol mission in the Baltic States following the recent downing of a Russian military drone in Latvia.

‘Air policing should not only patrol, but also, if possible and necessary, shorten the decision-making chain at the NATO level so that aircraft can take off immediately and destroy the drones,’ Kasciunas told reporters on Wednesday.

He noted that if a radar detects a potential drone entering a NATO country, the information should be promptly transmitted to the alliance headquarters.

NATO's air policing mission in the Baltic States is carried out from Lithuania and temporarily from Latvia, while the Estonian air base is undergoing repairs.

Lithuania also calls on NATO to strengthen the air defence of the Baltic States by introducing a rotational air defence model.

Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur has also called for improving the air defence of NATO member states bordering Russia, amid a critical shortage of long-range missile defence capabilities in the alliance.

The ability to defeat ballistic missiles is one of the biggest gaps in the Allies' defence. Long-range weapons, such as the Patriot system, some of which NATO allies have provided to Ukraine, are also extremely expensive.

‘Obviously, the border countries are in the most critical situation,’ Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur told Bloomberg. ‘If the border countries are protected, then of course Berlin and Paris are also much more secure.’

In July, NATO headquarters sent proposals to its member states for new defence capabilities, with an alliance-wide agreement expected in the second half of 2025. The proposals outline spending commitments over the next 20 years.

Estonia has recently introduced a defence tax, and the country is already the second-largest defence spender in NATO as a share of economic output, after Poland.

NATO aircraft patrol the airspace of the three Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, none of which have fighter jets. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, representatives of the Baltic States also demanded a regular presence of allied air defence systems.