Romania orders Russian diplomat out after drone breach

Romania has expelled a Russian consul in the Black Sea port of Constanța after a drone attack damaged an apartment block in the north-eastern city of Galați, injuring two people in what the country’s president called the most serious security incident on its soil since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Diplomatic expulsion and NATO response

President Nicușor Dan declared the Russian consul persona non grata following an emergency meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defence, effectively ordering the official to leave the country and paving the way for the closure of the Russian consulate in Constanța. Romania also summoned the Russian ambassador to protest the incursion, which Dan described as part of a “swarm” of 43 drones aimed at targets in Ukraine. The drone that struck the ten-storey residential block on the night of 28–29 May had crossed the border from Ukraine, triggering an explosion and fire that forced the evacuation of around 70 residents. Romanian armed forces tracked the drone with F-16 fighter jets and a helicopter but decided not to engage it, citing the risk to civilian safety.

Dan criticised some Romanian politicians for attempting to downplay Moscow’s responsibility, and said the incident marked a dangerous escalation. “Some has already arrived, others are due to arrive,” he said of NATO air defence equipment being moved to Romania. “In the discussion I had with the NATO secretary general, I insisted on speed and he was in absolute agreement that this equipment should reach Romania as quickly as possible.” The alliance is relocating air defence assets to Romania as an interim measure while Bucharest upgrades its own systems, partly using funds from the EU’s SAFE scheme. A contract for new anti-drone systems under that programme is being accelerated.

NATO condemned “Russia’s recklessness” and, through Secretary General Mark Rutte, assured Romania of “absolute solidarity,” stressing the alliance is “ready to defend every inch of allied territory.” The European Commission’s deputy chief spokesperson, Olof Gill, called the strike “a most serious act, another act of unacceptable aggression by Russia.” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Russia’s “war of aggression has crossed yet another line,” as the EU prepares its 21st package of sanctions against Moscow.

International condemnation was swift. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the violation of NATO airspace was “extremely dangerous and reckless” and pledged that “the UK stands united with Romania and all Allies to defend every inch of Nato territory.” Denmark’s acting prime minister Mette Frederiksen described the drone incursion as “a direct consequence of Russia’s illegal war of aggression” and called for stronger deterrence. Czech President Petr Pavel urged a “strong international response,” insisting Russia must understand such attacks will not be tolerated. Russia’s foreign ministry said it would “respond soon,” and analysts expect a tit-for-tat expulsion of Romanian diplomats from Moscow, consistent with past practice.

The drone strike was the first time a Russian drone has hit a densely populated area in Romania and caused injuries, but it was not an isolated event. Romania has reported 28 airspace breaches by Russian drones since Moscow began targeting Ukrainian ports on the Danube River, and fragments have fallen on Romanian territory at least 47 times. The latest incident has sharpened concern across NATO’s eastern flank, where allies such as Poland and the Baltic states have also faced drone incursions. In a separate development, a drone without an explosive charge was found in north-western Romania.

Hungary secures €10bn in frozen EU funds

While attention focused on the eastern border, the European Commission in Brussels announced a major breakthrough with Hungary’s new government. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stood alongside Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar to confirm the release of €10bn in EU funds that had been frozen under the previous administration of Viktor Orbán over rule-of-law and corruption concerns. Von der Leyen said the election night of 12 April “will stay in our memory for a long time,” acknowledging the pro-European course of Magyar’s administration after 16 years of clashes with Brussels.

“You have formed a government with ministers drawn from the top ranks of their professions who have stepped up for the public interest,” von der Leyen said. “Your government is moving with speed and determination to deliver on the promises you have made to the Hungarian people.” She noted that “structural reforms” are needed to “fight corruption and state capture” from the Orbán era, pointing to changes in public procurement laws and Hungary’s planned accession to the European Public Prosecutors Office. The commission also unlocked €4.2bn in conditionality-related cohesion funds and another €2.2bn after progress on academic freedom, which will allow Hungarian students to benefit again from the Erasmus programme from the next academic year.

Von der Leyen emphasised that “more steps will have to be taken” on Hungary’s controversial “child protection” law, which the European Court of Justice found illegal last month because it discriminates against LGBTQ people. She said the two sides had “agreed on very concrete projects” supporting energy, housing, transport and small- and medium-sized enterprises. The funds had been at risk of expiring at the end of August, and Magyar’s success in securing the deal marks the first major political win of his premiership.

Zelenskyy warns of new Russian offensive

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used the moment to issue a fresh warning to allies, stating that new intelligence shows Russia is “preparing for a new massive attack.” He did not provide details but said “it is important that all our partners know what is happening and that Russia continues to rely on missiles and further war, not diplomatic steps.” Zelenskyy called for “additional sanctions” to increase pressure on Moscow and for further help to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence systems.

He offered Ukraine’s assistance to Romania “in whatever way is necessary,” noting that the drone that hit Galați was part of a broader strike on Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, which borders Romania. “We count on the European Union’s new sanctions measures against Russia to be truly strong and to make Russia feel that its strikes mean significant losses for Russia itself,” he said.

Poland-Ukraine tensions reignited over wartime history

Separately, diplomatic strains between Kyiv and Warsaw resurfaced after Zelenskyy named a Ukrainian army unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), the nationalist formation that fought against Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union and Polish forces during the Second World War. Poland holds the UPA responsible for massacres of tens of thousands of Polish civilians between 1943 and 1945, which the Polish parliament has defined as “ethnic cleansing with signs of genocide.”

Polish President Karol Nawrocki, a right-wing historian who has previously criticised Ukraine’s wartime record, said he was “outraged” and called for Zelenskyy to be stripped of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest civilian award, which was bestowed on him in 2023. A formal meeting on that revocation is scheduled for 8 June. “Unfortunately, president Zelensky has proven that Ukraine, in terms of the mental glorification of bandits and murderers from the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, is not ready to be part of the European family,” Nawrocki told reporters.

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a close ally of Ukraine since the full-scale invasion, described the decision as “concerning” but urged restraint. “If we quarrel about the past, someone else will win the future,” he wrote on X. “The President of Ukraine should finally understand this. The Polish president should too – before it’s too late.” Poland’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maciej Wewiór warned that the move “can be exploited by Russian propaganda, which seeks to divide us and undermine support for Ukraine as it defends itself.”