Romania scrambled fighter jets early on Tuesday after drones breached its airspace near the Ukrainian border, the defence ministry has confirmed. Authorities said one drone briefly moved deeper into the country before turning back.
Two German Eurofighters operating under NATO air-policing missions were first dispatched to track a drone over Tulcea county, which later re-entered Ukraine. A separate radar alert triggered the launch of two Romanian F-16s after a second drone crossed into Galati county and moved inland toward Vrancea, which does not share a border with Ukraine and is more than 100 km inland.
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Romania, an EU and NATO member with a 650-km border with Ukraine, has faced repeated drone incursions and debris falls since Russia stepped up attacks on Ukrainian ports along the Danube. Legislation allows Romanian forces to shoot down drones in peacetime if lives or property are at risk, though the option has not been used so far.
The incident comes as European officials express cautious optimism following weekend talks on a revised United States peace proposal for Ukraine. Leaders say discussions addressed several concerns raised by Kyiv and EU governments, while noting that major issues remain.