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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that the origin of a drone that crashed into a building in Romania could not be determined without an examination, after Bucharest said the drone was Russian and NATO countries condemned Moscow over the incident.
The crash took place overnight Thursday-Friday, injuring two people and triggering a fire, Romanian officials said.
Speaking after a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, Putin said it was too early to say the drone belonged to Russia and suggested it could have been Ukrainian.
“No one can say the origin of this or that aircraft until an examination of that aircraft is conducted,” Putin said.
He said Ukrainian drones had previously been seen in Finland, Poland and the Baltic countries, where Russia had immediately been blamed.
Putin said Romania could share information and drone fragments with Russia, allowing Moscow to conduct its own investigation into the incident.
“If they provide us with any objective data... in that case, we will assess what happened,” he said.
Putin said Russia “has never threatened and is not threatening European countries,” responding to accusations from Romania and its NATO allies.
He also said European countries were seeking to “continue the confrontation with Russia and to justify exorbitant spending from their state budgets.”
Russia’s ambassador to Romania was summoned to the Foreign Ministry after the crash.
The Russian Embassy said in a Telegram message that the ambassador was told the Russian consul general in Constanta would be expelled and the consulate closed.
The embassy said no explanation had been provided on how Romanian experts determined the drone’s nationality and accused Ukraine of a “new provocation” aimed at “trying by all means to draw NATO into a war against Russia.”
Drone incursions in Romania have been detected dozens of times since the start of Russia’s 2022 conflict with Ukraine. Friday’s strike marked the first time a residential building in Romania had been hit.
Putin also commented on Armenia’s recent steps toward closer ties with the European Union and the U.S., saying Eurasian Economic Union inspections for agricultural products are stricter than EU standards.
He said if Armenia joins the EU, EAEU standards would no longer apply to agricultural goods it sends to the Russian market.
“Where will products from Armenia, for example wine, go? To Spain? France? Italy? Portugal? Where? It is necessary to think,” Putin said.
Drawing a comparison with Ukraine, Putin said the crisis there began with Kyiv’s attempts to join the EU, adding: “We were not against it.”
On Ukraine, Putin said Russia remained open to negotiations and that Russian troops were continuing to advance.
He said his earlier comments that the war was nearing an end were based on his analysis of the battlefield situation.
Putin also rejected claims by European politicians that Russia was preparing for war, calling them a “crude, arrogant lie.”
Commenting on remarks by some European politicians about possible action against Kaliningrad, Putin said they had the means to destroy Russian bases, but Russia also had “all the means” to destroy those who attempted such actions.
Asked about claims that Ukraine had sent drone operators to Latvia, Putin said any place posing a threat to Russia would be considered a legitimate target by Moscow.
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