Lithuania lifts drone alert
The drone alert in Lithuania has been lifted.
The country’s defence minister told that the drone flew by Lentvaris, near the capital Vilnius, before changing course and diverting in a different direction.
Authorities expect to provide more details soon.
Lithuanian officials have not received any reports of drones crashing within their territory.
People in shelters in Lithuania during earlier drone alert - in pictures
Putin praises 'unprecedented' relations with China focusing on foreign policy, trade, energy
During his visit to China, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia and China are committed to maintaining an “independent and sovereign” foreign policy, as the two countries signed declarations to enhance cooperation.
“Most important is that Russia and China are committed to an independent and sovereign foreign policy, are working together in close strategic cooperation and playing an important stabilising role on the global stage,”
Putin also expressed Russia’s readiness to continue supplying energy to China, according to , following his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He described Russian-Chinese relations as being at an “unprecedented” level.
Xi emphasized the “political mutual trust and strategic cooperation” between the two nations, as reported by Chinese state media. The leaders have frequently praised each other, with Xi once referring to Putin as his “best and most intimate friend,” according to the Associated Press.
Morning opening: Drone alerts in the Baltics, again
This morning, Lithuania issued an air alert warning residents near Vilnius to seek shelter, marking the latest Baltic country affected by drone incidents following Estonia and Latvia.
According to Lithuania’s Ministry of Defence,
“Lithuania has issued an air alert in parts of the country after a suspected drone approaching from Belarus was detected near the border. Nato Baltic Air Policing has been activated.”
Vilnius airport temporarily suspended flights, and an alarm sounded in the Lithuanian parliament. Train services were also halted, with passengers evacuated to shelters, according to LRT.
This event occurred just one day after NATO shot down a suspected stray Ukrainian drone over the Baltic region, amid Russian threats accusing the Baltics of collaborating with Ukraine to launch attacks on Russian territory.
Meanwhile, significant attention is on Vladimir Putin’s visit to China for talks with Xi Jinping, where they discussed foreign policy objectives and closer military cooperation, occurring just a week after former US President Donald Trump’s visit to China.
The strengthening ties between Moscow and Beijing are likely to concern Europe and the United States, especially with Putin’s remarks about “Russia and China playing a stabilising role on the international stage.”
Additional updates will cover EU-US trade negotiations and Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s visit to Poland, where he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Karol Nawrocki.
It is Wednesday, 20 May 2026. Jakub Krupa reporting for Europe Live.
