On Monday evening, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council António Costa denounced the incursion of dozens of balloons carrying contraband cigarettes from Belarus into Lithuania, causing the Vilnius and Kaunas airports to temporarily close. Lithuania announced that it would shoot down balloons that enter its territory illegally.
“This is destabilisation. This is provocation. We call it by its name: a hybrid threat. We will not tolerate it,” Mrs von der Leyen emphasised on X. Mr Costa demanded that Belarus cease its persistent and provocative actions against the EU and its Member States, which he described as hybrid activities. “Belarus must prevent further incidents,” he added.
Mr Costa warned that the EU would continue to put pressure on the regime for its complicity in the war waged by Russia and would support protecting the EU’s eastern border. According to Mrs von der Leyen, these actions are “yet another reason” to expedite Europe’s flagship projects: the Eastern Flank Watch and the European Drone Defence Initiative. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)