NATO Says It’s Working to Counter Russian GPS Jamming After Interference With European Commission President’s Plane

NATO is working “day and night” to counter Russian GPS jamming, the organization's Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed on Tuesday, two days after a plane carrying European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen encountered interference.

“It is taken very seriously,” said Rutte during a press conference in Luxembourg. “I can assure you that we are working day and night to counter this, to prevent it, and to make sure that they will not do it again.”

Rutte went on to say that NATO is “stepping up” when it comes to dealing with “hybrid, cyber” matters and have “agreed on policies” to address the mounting concern. The NATO chief admitted that instances of GPS jamming could have “potentially disastrous effects,” making the issue all the more urgent.

A plane boarded by von der Leyen on Sunday encountered suspected Russian interference while trying to land in Bulgaria, a spokesperson for the Commission told TIME.

“We have received information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia. We are well aware that threats and intimidation are a regular component of Russia’s hostile actions,” said European Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Arianna Podestà in an emailed statement on Monday, reiterating that the plane landed safely, despite the GPS jamming.

Per Podestà, the event will only serve to “further reinforce” the European Commission’s “unshakable commitment to ramp up [its] defence capabilities and support for Ukraine.”

A source familiar with the matter told TIME the pilots used paper maps to successfully land the plane.

TIME has reached out to Bulgarian Authorities and the Russian Foreign Ministry regarding the allegations.

Read More: European Leaders Condemn Putin’s ‘Bloodshed’ After Russia Strikes Kyiv’s E.U. Mission and British Council Buildings

A strong ally of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, von der Leyen has frequently condemned Russia’s actions against Ukraine following its invasion of the country in 2022.

Last week, she lambasted the Russian strikes that hit the E.U. delegation in Kyiv for the first time, along with the British Council building. “Russia must stop its indiscriminatory attacks on civilian infrastructure immediately and join negotiations for a just and lasting peace,” she urged.

On Sunday, von der Leyen visited an ammunition factory in the Bulgarian town of Sopot, where she said that shells are manufactured for both E.U. and Ukrainian stockpiles and praised the site for benefiting “Europe’s security as a whole.”

Continuing her tour of frontline member states on Monday, von der Leyen visited Lithuania, which borders Russia, and announced an economic roadmap for the next five years is due to be outlined in October to address defence investment regarding the war in Ukraine and Russian threats towards other neighbouring countries.

“You live under geopolitical and economic pressure, as well as constant military and hybrid threats,” said von der Leyen in a joint press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda.

In July, the European Commission announced sanctions against Russian individuals and entities accused of these “hybrid threats,” including one Russian company and two individuals in relation to signal jamming from Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave.

“GNSS signal disruptions in several European countries have been linked to electronic warfare activities from Kaliningrad, including jamming and spoofing of GNSS signals, primarily affecting the Baltic States, and disrupting civil aviation,” read the press release.

Read More: How Putin Brushed Off Trump’s Latest Push for Peace in Ukraine

The latest allegations of Russian interference in GPS systems comes almost three weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska for a “high-stakes” summit.

The meeting served as the first in-person encounter between the Presidents since 2019, and was intended to foster discussions about a path toward a potential cease-fire. But it ended earlier than expected and, notably, without a deal being reached.

Trump has since met with Zelensky and key European leaders at the White House to discuss possible steps forward, during which he ruled out sending U.S. troops to Ukraine as part of security guarantees.

The U.S. President has pitched for a one-on-one meeting between Zelensky and Putin. But a Kremlin aide said on Monday that a concrete agreement for a one-on-one, or a trilateral meeting including Trump, has not been agreed upon, reaffirming Russia’s stance since Putin met with Trump.

“So far, what is being broadcast in the press is not exactly what we’ve agreed on. Now they are talking about a trilateral meeting, about a meeting between Putin and Zelensky. But specifically, as far as I know, there has been no agreement between Putin and Trump on this,” presidential aide Yuri Ushakov is quoted as telling Russian media outlet VGTRK.