UK summons Russian envoy over ‘continued strikes on Ukraine, violation of NATO airspace’

Britain on Wednesday summoned the Russian envoy over what it called “continued strikes on Ukraine, and Russia’s violation of NATO airspace,” as a drone hit a Romanian residential building last week.

In a statement, a Foreign Office spokesperson said it has summoned the Russian ambassador to “strongly” condemn Moscow’s “grave escalation.”

“Injuring innocent civilians on NATO territory is unacceptable and a stark reminder of the threat that Ukrainian civilians are having to endure on a daily basis,” the spokesperson said.

The statement said that Russia continues to show “blatant disregard” for civilian life, firing hundreds of drones and missiles into Ukraine and threatening its near neighbors.

“Recent warnings for diplomats to leave Kyiv were irresponsible and unjustified,” it said, adding: “The UK stands firmly with Ukraine, Romania and all of our NATO Allies and we will defend every inch of NATO territory.”

On Friday, Romanian authorities claimed that a Russian drone struck a 10-story apartment block in the city of Galati.

The same day, Romania summoned Moscow’s ambassador in Bucharest, while President Nicusor Dan announced that Russia’s Consulate General in Constanta would be closed and declared the Russian consul general in the southeastern Romanian city “persona non grata.”

In response to the incident, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Romania to conduct an investigation, pointing out that Ukrainian drones had previously crossed into Finland, Poland and the Baltic states, initially triggering accusations against Moscow before investigations produced different conclusions.