The Kremlin Dismisses European "Red Lines" as Drone Incidents Raise the Risk of a Wider War

The Kremlin rejected European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's references to "red lines." President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said countries that do everything to keep the war going should not invoke such limits, TASS reported. Von der Leyen had accused Russia of crossing a limit after a drone struck a residential building in Romania, and she said the European Union was preparing its 21st package of sanctions.

The exchange reflects positions that are becoming more rigid. Brussels and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have treated recent drone entries into European airspace as a direct challenge, while Moscow describes European policy as an effort to prolong the conflict rather than end it. The two accounts have little in common.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko added to the tension, saying Minsk had identified what he called a very serious target not far from Belarus, RIA Novosti reported. He also gave his interpretation of President Trump's position on Ukraine, the agency reported separately, as Russia's closest ally tried to influence the diplomatic situation.

The underlying risk is escalation, either by accident or by intention, onto NATO territory at a time when the United States is reducing its military presence in Europe. That combination forces European governments to address a security gap they had assumed the United States would fill, and it keeps a low-probability but high-impact risk present for investors.