Kallas added that Monday’s discussion will look at how EU institutions can work with member countries to determine which tools in the EU’s arsenal could be used as part of the protocol response.
While diplomats say the details are still vague on what the protocol could entail in theory, it could apply to drone incursions, sabotage and cyberattacks, once it’s clear who was responsible. Kallas stressed that the protocol would apply to “everything that is under the threshold of armed aggression.”
Over the summer, hybrid activity linked to Russia increased dramatically. Drone overflights, crashes and explosions have become almost daily occurrences in some parts of Eastern Europe, particularly in countries bordering Ukraine. There is also growing speculation that the Kremlin could expand its campaign to Western Europe. Tensions between Germany and Russia reached a peak this month after Berlin accused Russia of being behind a drone attack at Leipzig airport earlier this year.
Russia is “not gaining any success on the battlefield. So that’s why they are increasing pressure and hybrid actions towards [countries] supporting countries for Ukraine,” Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen told reporters at the doorsteps of the ministers’ meeting. That’s why “we have to approach this problem [with] calm but decisively.”
Häkkänen said the emergency protocol responses could include further sanctions and restrictions on visas for Russian tourists. But “we need close cooperation with NATO,” he added.
However, officials say that one of the key issues that will determine the EU response is the need to move faster on gathering strong evidence to attribute hybrid attacks.
In Estonia, authorities are still investigating a suspected mid-August 2026 arson attack on defense contractor Milrem Robotics as a potential act of Russian sabotage. But what “I would like to see [is that] first we find out who did it and then we publish it like Germany did it a few weeks ago,” Estonia Defense Minister Martin Herem said.
“And then of course, we have to act,” he added.