NATO chief says alliance 'ready to defend every inch' after Russian drone hits Romania

According to CNBC, a Russian drone struck an apartment block in southeastern Romania near the Ukrainian border, wounding two people. Romania's president said the incident demanded a 'firm, coordinated and appropriate' response, and Bucharest stepped up consultations with NATO partners. The episode heightens concerns that Russia's overnight strikes on Ukraine could spill across the border into neighbouring alliance members.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance was 'ready to defend every inch of Allied territory'. Diplomats are watching whether Bucharest formally invokes Article 4 consultations, the alliance's mechanism for discussing security risks. Solidarity messages from Poland, Lithuania and Estonia followed within hours.

Moscow did not provide a direct comment on the strike. Ukrainian sources said the overnight attack had targeted energy infrastructure and that debris from one drone had landed near the border line. EU foreign-affairs chief Kaja Kallas said preparations were under way for an extraordinary meeting in Brussels to coordinate the European response.