European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is taking part in a meeting with President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Voldymi Zelensky and European leaders held at the White House on August 18, 2025.
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The European Union said on Monday that Russia is suspected of hampering the GPS system of the plane carrying President Ursula von der Leyen to Bulgaria on Sunday.
“We can certainly confirm that the GPS is clogged, but the plane has safely landed in Bulgaria. We have received information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspect this was due to blatant interference by Russia,” a spokesperson for the European Commission said at a press conference on Monday.
“We are of course used to the threats and blackmail, which are regular components of Russia’s hostile actions, and of course this only further strengthens our unwavering commitment to strengthening Ukraine’s defensive capabilities and support,” the spokesman added.
The incident underscores the urgent need to invest in Europe’s defense and security, the spokesman said.
Von Der Leyen was on a plane approved by the European Commission, the EU said. The reporter asked if the plane was a suspected target of GPS jamming that prevented access to satellite-based navigation systems.
CNBC contacted the Kremlin about a response to the claim. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, previously told the Financial Times that the information was “wrong.”
The European Commission’s Ursula von der Leyen (3rd L) visits Bulgaria’s largest arms factory, VMZ, and will be accompanied by Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Rosen Zelyazukov (second L) on August 31, 2025 in Sopot, Bulgaria.
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CNBC has contacted the Bulgaria Air Transport Services Bureau for more details on the incident. However, a previous statement to the FT read that “there is a noticeable increase in (GPS) disturbances and recent occurrences of spoofing have been rising since February 2022.” “These interferences disrupt the accurate reception of (GPS) signals, leading to various operational challenges for aircraft and ground systems.”
The Bulgarian government issued a statement on Monday, stating that “the satellite signals used for aircraft GPS navigation have been destroyed.”
“The GPS signal was lost as the aircraft approached Plovdiv Airport,” the statement added.
