Slovak PM links Russian drone strike in Romania to lack of dialogue between EU and Moscow

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said the European Union should immediately begin dialogue with Moscow after a Russian attack drone hit a residential apartment block in the city of Galați, Romania.

Fico expressed full solidarity with the Romanian government over the drone incident. He also pointed to his earlier remarks that, without dialogue between the EU and the Russian Federation, any drone that accidentally enters airspace could lead to an escalation of tensions "that we may not be able to manage".

"I […] call for restraint in making inflammatory statements and once again urge the immediate opening of dialogue between the European Union and the Russian Federation," Fico wrote on X.

On the night of 28-29 May, during a Russian attack on the south of Ukraine, a drone crashed into the roof of a 10-storey apartment block in the Romanian border city of Galați. The strike caused a fire, damaged an apartment and injured two people. The drone was identified as a Russian Shahed/Geran-2 type.

A Romanian Defence Ministry representative has stated that a lack of time and the restrictions applied in peacetime conditions under which the country's military is forced to operate were the reasons the drone was not shot down in Galați.

Romania's Foreign Ministry described the crash of a Russian drone into a residential apartment building in Galați as a serious escalation by Moscow and summoned the Russian ambassador.

Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu stated that the crash of the Russian drone into a residential building in Galați meets the criteria that justify invoking Article 4 of NATO regarding consultations with allies.