‘Peace in Europe no longer default situation’, warns Czech president Petr Pavel – Europe live

From 2h ago 08.30 BST 'Peace in Europe no longer default,' Czechia's Pavel says In a stark warning, Pavel – a retired Nato general – warns that “peace in Europe can no longer be treated as the default state of affairs.” “It must once again be actively protected, defended and maintained. The lesson of this moment is not that Europe is alone it is that Europe needs to be strong enough to stand on its own when needed.” He warns that Europe needs to pull all the levers to get itself into the best position, as “history will simply not wait for Europe to become ready.” “We must act swiftly,” he says. Share 37m ago 10.22 BST Russia doubles down on repeatedly denied claims alleging Baltics were looking to enable Ukrainian drone attacks Meanwhile, Russia has doubled down on its (repeatedly denied) suggestions that Latvia and other Baltic states could soon be used by Ukraine as a “launchpad” for attacks on Russia, raising fears about a potential escalation in the region. In a lengthy statement on its Telegram channel, the Russian ministry of foreign affairs said – quoting its foreign intelligence serving, but without offering any evidence – its claims that the Ukrainian military is preparing to carry out strikes on Russia from the territories of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It criticised Latvia’s “naive” leaders for allegedly “consenting” to the operation – again, a claim repeatedly denied by Latvia’s top leadership, including both the president and the prime minister, and Ukraine (Europe Live, Tuesday). As part of the message, the Russian MFA even named the five Latvian military bases it alleged were hosting the Ukrainian drones. “Nato membership will not shield accomplices of terrorists from just retribution,” it said, repeating the threats first made in the UN security council meeting earlier this week, which prompted clear condemnation from the US and the EU. US warns Russia after Moscow threatens Latvia – as it happened Read more Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte said yesterday that Russia’s claims were “totally ridiculous, and Russia knows it” (Europe Live, Wednesday). Share Updated at 10.29 BST 49m ago 10.11 BST Worth remembering that the (now repeated) drone incursions into Latvian airspace have caused some real political damage in the country, prompting a government crisis leading to the collapse of Evika Siliņa’s administration last week. Latvian prime minister resigns amid row over drone incursions Read more Share 1h ago 10.03 BST Lithuania continues search for drone that prompted air alert yesterday Meanwhile, Lithuania is still looking for a military drone that prompted a national air threat alert yesterday, with the country’s leaders led to bunkers and the general public told to take shelter. View image in fullscreen People gather inside a shelter at the Lithuanian parliament after an ‘air danger’ warning, in Vilnius, Lithuania. Photograph: Andrius Sytas/Reuters The drone disappeared from the Lithuanian radars near Vilnius, with a major search operation now under way trying to figure out what happened to it. Lithuanian leaders rushed to bunkers as drone violates country’s airspace Read more The operation had to be paused last night because of darkness, but has resumed this morning, with the authorities now looking closer to the Lithuanian border with Belarus. “Until the object is found, no one can say for sure, but all parameters recorded by radars [...] point to a drone,” Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the Crisis Management Centre, said, quoted by LRT. Share 1h ago 09.59 BST Latvia confirms drone incursion in its airspace Oh-oh. Further to the earlier air alert, Latvia has just confirmed “there is at least one unmanned aerial vehicle in Latvia’s airspace.” There is still no detail on what sort of drone or whose drone it is. We will surely hear more about it during the day. Share 1h ago 09.47 BST Ukraine is 'military power with huge production capabilities' that must not be allowed to fall in Russian hands, former Estonian president says Back in Prague, former Estonian president Kersti Kaljulaid offered a clear take on the question facing the EU as it is moving to consider whether Ukraine should be admitted as a member of the bloc. “I just wanted to say [it] should be about simplification. It’s very difficult to discuss [if] Ukraine [should] join European Union, and then we discuss how will its agriculture fit the common agricultural policy. [But] this is not the question. Question is: Ukraine is a military power with huge military production capability. Whose hands must it be in? In Russian hands, [or] western hands? End of story. This is our question. This is our objective. Have Ukrainians with us, because imagine they started, like in Soviet Union times, to build all these things for Russia, not for us. And that gives you your answer. It’s very simple.” Share 2h ago 09.23 BST Ukraine ramping up security measures in regions bordering Belarus Following Zelenskyy’s warnings yesterday, Ukraine is ramp