---
title: "Latvia's President: Europe Will Not Have Time to Rebuild Its Air Defense for a New Drone War by Mid-2027"
description: "Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs warned in an interview with The Guardian that European air defense systems will not have time to adapt to the lightning-fast development of the drone war in Ukraine and may lose their relevance by mid-2027."
date: 2026-09-19T11:58:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/latvia-president-europe-cannot-keep-up-with-drone-war-en
tags: [latvia, nato, drone-warfare, air-defense, russia, ukraine-war, hybrid-threats, poland, lithuania, edgars-rinkevics]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Latvia's President: Europe Will Not Have Time to Rebuild Its Air Defense for a New Drone War by Mid-2027

![President of Latvia in a business suit and glasses against a blue background, commenting on Europe's lag in rebuilding air defense for the drone war](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/20/prezident-latvii-evropa-ne-uspevaet-za-dronovoy-voinoy/prezident-latvii-evropa-ne-uspevaet-za-dronovoy-voinoy-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Latvian President Rinkēvičs stated that European approaches to an air war may lose their relevance by mid-2027 due to the lightning-fast development of drone technologies in Ukraine
- Rinkēvičs does not expect a conventional Russian invasion of NATO, but warns of the risks of hybrid attacks: sabotage, cyberattacks, drone and missile incidents
- Poland and Lithuania warn of increased activity by Russian intelligence services against European infrastructure; Lithuania is preparing an evacuation plan for Vilnius
- Polish Prime Minister Tusk allowed that the escalation by Russia could spread to Polish territory in the coming weeks and months

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, in an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, issued a stark warning: the technological race in aerial attacks, fueled by the war in Ukraine, calls into question the ability of European countries and NATO to respond adequately to missile and drone threats. According to him, current approaches to preparing for an air war may lose their relevance as early as mid-2027, and air defense, anti-drone, and missile defense systems are facing "serious problems." Rinkēvičs emphasized that this vulnerability affects not only Europe but also Ukraine itself, which has withstood large-scale Russian air strikes for several years in a row.

### The "Lightning Speed" of Changes on the Front

The key thesis of the Latvian leader is the pace at which drone warfare technologies are evolving in Ukraine. Rinkēvičs described it as "lightning-fast," stressing that European defense strategies, developed on the basis of earlier notions of aerial threats, are not keeping up with the adaptation. If Russia decides to launch several missiles at NATO territory, "for many countries this will become a serious challenge that will be difficult to handle," the President of Latvia stated. Thus, even a missile attack of limited scale may exceed the capabilities of the existing air defense systems of a number of allies.

### Hybrid Threats: Sabotage, Cyberattacks, Drone Incidents

Separately, Rinkēvičs commented on the risk of further escalation by Russia. He stated that he does not expect a conventional military invasion of Russia into NATO countries, but called for readiness for alternative scenarios. In his assessment, acts of sabotage, cyberattacks, as well as drone and missile incidents are already being cited as evidence of testing Europe's readiness. This thesis echoes recent warnings from Poland and Lithuania: in Warsaw, there were reports of increased activity by Russian intelligence services against European infrastructure — railways, bridges, border crossings. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that the coming weeks and months could become a period of active Russian actions, and did not rule out that the escalation would spread to Polish territory.

### Lithuania Prepares an Evacuation Plan for Vilnius

Against the backdrop of these statements, Lithuania announced that it is preparing an evacuation plan for the residents of Vilnius in case of a military threat or a large-scale crisis. One of the possible routes was Poland, considered as a transit corridor for the residents of the Baltic states. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys confirmed that Vilnius and its allies possess the same intelligence information on possible hybrid attacks by Russia, including the scenario of an operation "under a foreign flag" — that is, actions that would not formally be attributed to Moscow.

### Contradictory Data

In the threat assessments voiced from different capitals, a divergence in emphasis can be traced. Rinkēvičs directly stated that he does not expect a conventional Russian invasion of NATO, and focused on the technological lag and hybrid scenarios. At the same time, Tusk, in harsher wording, allowed that the escalation "could spread to Polish territory," which sounds like a warning about a broader spectrum of possible actions, including direct military incidents on land. The difference in rhetoric may reflect both a difference in intelligence data and the political necessity of each capital to calibrate its own public message. Neither side refutes the other's statements, however, it is important for the reader to understand that no consensus on the question of "how close Europe is to direct military confrontation" has been formed at this point.

### Context: Why Now

Rinkēvičs's statement came against the backdrop of an accelerated escalation of the drone war in Ukraine, where both sides are actively experimenting with new tactics — from mass drone attacks on energy infrastructure to the use of electronic warfare and interception means. Europe, in turn, only in recent years began large-scale rearmament and a review of air defense doctrines, which, according to the Latvian president, does not allow closing the technological gap. In a situation where the war in Ukraine has already entered its fourth year, the question of "whether Europe will have time to restructure" ceases to be abstract and becomes a practical task for defense budgets and alliances.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Europe May Not Repel a Russian Missile Attack: Latvia's President Made an Important Warning](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/evropa-mozhe-vidbiti-raketnu-ataku-rf-prezident-1789818872.html) - Основной источник. Полное отражение цитат Ринкевичса из интервью The Guardian, включая оценки ПВО, дроновой войны и гибридных угроз.
- [Latvia's President: Most NATO Countries Will Not Be Able to Repel a Russian Missile Attack](https://news.zerkalo.io/world/136826.html) - Подтверждает ключевые тезисы: большинство стран НАТО не справятся с ракетной атакой, технологическое отставание Европы.
- [Latvia's President Complained About Europe's Lag in Weapons Development](https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/news/2026/09/20/29352973.shtml) - Российское издание, подтверждающее факт интервью и основные цитаты. Акцент на отставании в развитии вооружений.
- [Latvia's President Stated That Europe Is Not Keeping Up with the Development of the Drone War in Ukraine](https://unn.ua/ru/news/prezident-latvii-zayavil-chto-yevropa-ne-uspevaet-za-razvitiem-voini-dronov-v-ukraine) - Подтверждает тезис о неспособности Европы угнаться за темпом развития дроновой войны в Украине.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What exactly did the President of Latvia say about Europe's readiness for an air war?
**A:** Edgars Rinkēvičs, in an interview with The Guardian, stated that the technological development of the drone war in Ukraine is proceeding at a "lightning speed," and that current European approaches to preparing for an air war may lose their relevance as early as mid-2027. He also noted that air defense, anti-drone, and missile defense systems are facing serious problems.

### Q: Does Rinkēvičs expect a Russian military invasion of NATO countries?
**A:** No, the President of Latvia directly stated that he does not expect a conventional military invasion of Russia into NATO countries. However, he called for readiness for other escalation scenarios: acts of sabotage, cyberattacks, drone and missile incidents.

### Q: What precautionary measures is Lithuania taking?
**A:** Lithuania announced that it is preparing an evacuation plan for the residents of Vilnius in case of a military threat or a large-scale crisis. One of the possible routes was Poland. Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys confirmed the possession of intelligence information on possible hybrid attacks by Russia, including an operation "under a foreign flag."

### Q: What does Poland say about the threat from Russia?
**A:** In Warsaw, there were statements about increased activity by Russian intelligence services against European infrastructure — railways, bridges, border crossings. Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that the coming weeks and months could become a period of active Russian actions, and did not rule out the spread of the escalation to Polish territory.