German Chancellor Friedrich Merz believes that the appearance of Russian aircraft in Lithuanian airspace on the day of the European Union summit is no coincidence.

He stated this to journalists at a briefing after the first day of the EU summit, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Merz confirmed that the leaders of states and governments of the European Union immediately received information about the violation of Lithuanian airspace by two Russian aircraft on Thursday.

"This is a serious violation, obviously not accidental. Another provocation by Russia. We will react in a measured manner, as before. It is expected that the NATO Council will deal with this issue," the Chancellor said.

He noted that one of the main topics at the summit was strengthening European defense capabilities.

"We aim to make the European defence industry simpler, standardised and scalable. To ensure real growth, it is necessary to simplify the rules in the defence sector," explained Merz.

At the same time, he believes that it is important that an agreement be reached on the so-called Defense Omnibus by the end of the year.

The German Chancellor explained: this means that defining defense goals remains a task for NATO. Meeting these goals is the responsibility of the Alliance's member states. There will be no duplication of structures or functions between the EU and NATO. But the EU will contribute to strengthening defense capabilities where it has its own competences, for example, by accelerating planning and permitting procedures for military facilities and production facilities.

As reported, on Thursday, two Russian military aircraft - a Su-30 fighter jet and an Il-78 tanker - entered Lithuanian airspace for approximately 18 seconds.