Spanish fighter jets were deployed after Russian aircraft breached Lithuanian airspace.
Lithuanian armed forces reported that on Thursday at approximately 6:00 p.m. local time, two Russian aircraft—an SU-30 and an IL-78—entered Lithuanian airspace by about 765 yards, according to The Associated Press. The planes reportedly departed after roughly 18 seconds.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda posted on X, stating that Russian military planes violated Lithuanian airspace that evening, calling it “a blatant breach of international law and territorial integrity of Lithuania.” He added that it “once again, it confirms the importance of strengthening European air defense readiness.”
Nausėda declared that the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs would summon Russian embassy representatives in Vilnius to “protest against reckless and dangerous behavior.” The ministry later confirmed via X that the Russian charge d’affaires was indeed summoned due to the airspace violation.
In a post on X, the ministry asserted, “Russia must cease its aggressive behavior, respect international law and the borders of neighboring states.”
Russia’s defense ministry refuted Lithuania’s claim, stating that SU-30 fighter jets were conducting training exercises over the Kaliningrad region in strict adherence to regulations, as reported by the AP.
The ministry claimed, according to the AP, that “The aircraft did not deviate from their flight route or violate the borders of other states, as confirmed by objective monitoring means.”
According to the AP, Baltic nations have maintained a heightened alert level during Russia’s continuing war with Ukraine. The outlet also stated that recent airspace incursions have intensified concerns that the Russian President could be testing NATO, an accusation Moscow has refuted.
In recent months, NATO member states Poland, Denmark, and Romania have reported instances of Russian drone airspace violations. Last August, Romania had to scramble F-16 jets after Russia conducted a strike merely half a mile from its territory while U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin before the Kremlin leader’s Alaska summit with President
Earlier this week, Trump canceled a scheduled meeting with Putin in Budapest, Hungary. Although the White House did not preclude a future summit, Trump has criticized Putin for his insufficient action towards peace with Ukraine.
The White House press secretary stated on Thursday that Trump “feels as though, unfortunately, from the Russian side as of late, he has not seen enough interest in enough action in terms of moving the ball forward toward peace.”
She added that “a meeting between these two leaders is not completely off the table. I think the president and the entire administration hope that one day that can happen again, but we want to make sure that there’s a tangible positive outcome out of that meeting, and that it’s a good use of the president’s time.”
During a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, Trump informed reporters that the summit was canceled because “it didn’t feel right” to him.
Trump stated on Wednesday, “It just didn’t feel right to me. It didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get, so I canceled it, but we’ll do it in the future.”
Since the cancellation of the Hungary summit, no future meeting plans have been disclosed.
Diana Stancy of Digital contributed to this report.