Statement by President von der Leyen in Lithuania

Dear President Nausėda,

Dear President Karis,

Dear President Rinkēvičs,

Thank you very much for welcoming us to Vilnius. People in the Baltic countries have been experiencing what many believed belonged to another era – air raid alerts, families sheltering, schools closing, transport interrupted. This is the reality on Europe's eastern border in 2026. Today it is here. Tomorrow it will be elsewhere along the eastern border. And we must be clear about what it means. These are not isolated incidents. This is a deliberate strategy from Russia trying to destabilise our democratic societies. But very much like on the battlefields of Ukraine, Russia is failing. As before, when it weaponised migrants and pushed them through the border. Once again, I want to praise the resilience of the Baltic people. You have responded with calm and responsibility. And with a clear message to Russia: we will prevail. Europe stands in full solidarity and unity with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Because when Baltic states are being tested, Europe as a whole is being tested.

I have four points. First, on readiness. On top of their significant national efforts, the Baltics will receive an additional EUR 12 billion through SAFE. We have already signed Lithuania's SAFE plan. And we are ready to sign with Estonia and Latvia any time. We are investing, right now, in anti-drone capabilities, advanced air defence and the protection of critical infrastructure. Besides that, we have already selected 16 new projects under our European Readiness Flagships – from the Eastern Flank Watch to the European Air Shield. And I am glad to see Baltic companies contributing to these projects. Your cutting-edge expertise in cyber defence and counter-drone systems is instrumental for the whole of Europe.

I also want to mention the role of cohesion policy. In our mid-term review, we opened – for the first time ever – Cohesion funds for defence-related expenditure. And thus, we have redirected EUR 1.5 billion across the Baltic states for defence preparedness, border surveillance and economic security. So basically, we have adapted our existing tools to the new realities on the ground. And we will follow the same approach in the next long-term budget.

My second point is on the need to bridge our preparedness gaps. These incidents have exposed vulnerabilities. Preparedness must be the organising principle for the resilience of our societies, our economic policies and of course for our security architecture. And the Eastern Member States will set the standards. Because what you are experiencing today, the rest of Europe could face tomorrow. So we will bridge the gaps systematically. Starting with more unified alert systems and improved cross-border coordination. The Eastern Flank Watch flagship must become a central pillar of Europe's security architecture. We must also better connect national systems with Copernicus and Galileo, for example. It would allow better information-sharing across borders and early warning capacity. We could initiate – in full coordination with NATO – a comprehensive assessment of existing counter-drone and early-warning systems across the region so that we can identify critical gaps together and then accelerate support where it is most needed and fill these gaps.

My third point is on integrating Ukraine into Europe's defence-industrial strategy. It will complement our own European flagship air defence projects. Because Ukraine's battlefield experience is helping our own defence adaptation. It is in our strategic interest to deepen coordination on next-generation defence technology so that we can produce more, better and smarter. Our objective is clear: together, Europe and Ukraine must build the industrial capacity to out-innovate our adversaries.

Finally, I would like us to reflect together on a broader strategic lesson. Unfortunately, today hybrid and cyberattacks, foreign interference, and disinformation are appearing regularly. Member States facing such threats should be able to count on European solidarity. This is why I believe that Europe should develop a protocol for such hybrid situations. It would enable rapid mobilisation of all available EU instruments. Because after all, deterrence is the best strategy to preserve peace. So let us stay vigilant. And let us stay united.

Thank you very much.