Vladimir Putin has challenged Romania to provide evidence that a crashed drone belonged to Russia. He made the demand while speaking to journalists at a summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Friday.
Putin accused Western nations of rushing to blame Moscow without conducting proper investigations. He questioned why EU leaders took a stance without even visiting Romania first.
According to him, aircraft origin cannot be determined until experts examine the wreckage thoroughly. He pointed to previous incidents where Ukrainian drones entered Finnish and Polish airspace.
"The initial reaction was identical to what we're seeing now: 'Help! The Russians are attacking,'" Putin said mockingly.
But those earlier cases had nothing to do with Russian UAVs, he noted.
Putin suggested a similar misidentification could have occurred in eastern Romania. He compared the situation to when Moscow requested proof after alleged strikes on his residences.
"Let them hand over those materials to us," he told reporters. Moscow would then conduct its own objective investigation, he promised.
A drone struck an apartment building in Galati on Friday, injuring two people. Romanian officials say it was part of a Russian attack targeting Ukraine.
Bucharest's Foreign Affairs Ministry tracked the drone on radar before it hit a residential roof. NATO and EU countries have strongly condemned the incident.
Romania summoned Russia's ambassador in response to the crash. Foreign Minister Oana Toiu warned the incident could strain diplomatic ties between the two nations.
She announced Bucharest would formally lodge a complaint with the European Union. The incident threatens relations already strained by ongoing tensions in the region.
