Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has warned that Nato may need to “react firmly” to Russia’s war in Ukraine after a drone incursion in Lithuania.
He told a news conference on Wednesday: “I want to repeat, and fortunately I am not alone today, that the Ukrainian-Russian war may soon lead to a situation where we will have to react firmly.”
Nato scrambled fighter jets in response to reports of a drone incursion in Lithuania. The country’s defence ministry said the drone flew near to Vilnius, pursued by warplanes, as the army told people to take shelter and closed the airport.
It comes as Vladimir Putin told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Wednesday that relations between their countries were at an “unprecedentedly high level”, as the two discussed wider economic cooperation and foreign issues.
Speaking on a visit to Beijing, the Russian president called Xi a “dear friend” and noted their longstanding relationship on trade, saying turnover has increased more than 30 times in the last 25 years.
Putin insisted that Russia and China play a “stabilising” role on the world stage as the pair signed a joint statement for comprehensive strategic coordination.
