Lithuania asks NATO to deploy rotational air defense faster after incident with Russian planes

Lithuania is asking NATO to implement a rotational air defense system as soon as possible after another incident with Russian aircraft in the country's airspace. This was stated by the country's Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys, reports LRT.

"Lithuania's call and position are very clear – we must finally implement what we agreed on at the Vilnius Summit in 2023: rotational air defense must be implemented in the region, we must increase forces in the Baltic States in the form of both fighter aircraft and ground-based air defense," he told reporters .

Budris noted that absolutely everyone can see that the flights of drones, fighter jets and balloons in the skies of Lithuania and other European countries continue. This means, he said, that the measures being taken now are not sufficient to deter Russia from such actions .

"We see that Russia is pushing the borders when its military actions do not receive a proper response," he emphasized .

Earlier, at the NATO summit in Vilnius, the allies agreed on a model for rotating air defense assets to make it virtually continuous. By the fall of 2025, only two countries had contributed: The Netherlands sent Patriot long-range anti-aircraft missile systems in July 2024, and Italy deployed SAMP/T ground-based air defense systems for exercises in February 2025.

In July, Spain also sent eight fighter jets to Lithuania, four of which are intended for air patrol and air defense. These forces will be deployed in the country by spring 2026.

• on October 23, Russian planes violated Lithuanian airspace, flying in for a few seconds from the Kaliningrad region. NATO fighter jets were scrambled to counteract..
• This is not the first such incident. on October 6, it was reported that NATO fighters took off three times in a week to escort Russian aircraft over the Baltic. A day earlier, Vilnius Airport suspended operations because of balloons in Lithuanian airspace.