Rome: The overnight Russian drone strike on a residential building in Romania’s eastern city of Galati is a threat to European security, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated on Friday, deploring the “extremely serious act”.
“Last night, a Russian drone struck a civilian building in Romania, injuring two citizens on the territory of an allied country and a member of the European Union,” read Meloni’s statement.
“This is an extremely serious act, which demonstrates that this war of aggression spares no one, continuing to brutally target innocent civilians, disregarding all boundaries, and jeopardising European security,” the statement continued, Adnkronos news agency reported.
“My deepest sympathy and solidarity go out to those affected, to the government, and to the entire Romanian people,” the statement added.
The drone strike on the apartment building in Galati has drawn condemnation from top European officials, and Romania has asked NATO to accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities, announcing a planned package of measures against Moscow “proportionate to this very serious situation”.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also condemned the incident.
“Russia’s violation of NATO airspace, hitting a residential building in Romania, is extremely dangerous and reckless,” Cooper wrote on X.
“The UK strongly condemns this grave escalation that puts lives at risk. I am in contact with the Romanian Foreign Minister. The UK stands united with Romania and all Allies to defend every inch of NATO territory,” she added.
According to the Romanian Ministry of National Defence, “during the night of 28 to 29 May, the Russian Federation resumed drone attacks against civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine, in the vicinity of Romania’s river border.”
A drone entered the Romanian airspace, was tracked by radar systems as far as the Southern area of the Galati municipality, and crashed onto the roof of a residential apartment building, the impact causing a fire, noted the Ministry.
(IANS)
