Lithuania seeks changes to NATO drone interception rules

By Seyma Erkul Dayanc

ISTANBUL (AA) - Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said Lithuania has begun consultations with NATO to revise procedures for intercepting drones that enter its airspace, according to broadcaster LRT.

That was after a suspected Ukrainian drone crossed into the country from Poland and exploded on Sunday.

Sinkevicius said Monday that the rules require fighter pilots to visually identify an object before using force, even when it is detected by radar.

Cloud cover and other adverse weather conditions can prevent pilots from confirming what they are tracking.

The prime minister said he expected the consultations to be completed within about a month.

He added that NATO could leave decisions on intercepting the objects to national authorities.

Lithuanian officials said the drone that crashed was Ukrainian and carried explosives.

Ukraine apologized, saying it lost contact with one of its drones during an attack.

The incident prompted a review of Lithuania’s air-defense response and raised questions about how quickly Lithuania can neutralize unidentified objects entering NATO airspace.

Sinkevicius also said Lithuania would examine whether it could change its procedures to allow action based on radar detection, without requiring visual confirmation.

Şeyma Erkul Dayanç