Talks are intensifying about a so-called drone wall to protect Europe’s eastern borders from the Kremlin after a series of airspace violations by Russian warplanes and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Seven EU member countries will meet Friday with the European Commission and Ukraine to discuss the drone wall proposal, a spokesperson for the EU executive confirmed Monday.
The online gathering will include seven front-line countries — Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria — alongside Ukraine and European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius.
“This is a concrete follow-up to President [Ursula] von der Leyen’s announcement, as recent attacks and incursions have already [occurred] in Romania and Poland,” European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said.
Von der Leyen had used her State of the Union speech earlier this month to support demands for an EU-backed “drone wall,” arguing the bloc must “heed the call of our Baltic friends” to defend its eastern borders.
The Commission president is expected to propose funding options for the drone wall during an Oct. 1 informal meeting of EU leaders in Copenhagen, two diplomats told POLITICO.
The new round of talks on the proposal will take place days after an “unprecedentedly brazen” incident on Sept. 19 when three Russian military jets violated Estonian airspace for 12 minutes before being intercepted by Italian F-35s. An incursion by Russian drones into Poland earlier this month also rocked NATO countries.
“Member states remain in the driving seat,” Regnier stressed at the Monday press briefing.
“We will see what their interest is, how we can help them, what their capabilities are, what their needs are. Following this discussion, we will decide on potential next steps hand in hand with these member states and Ukraine,” he added.
The new development comes after Lithuania said the Commission had previously rejected a joint €12 million drone wall funding request from Tallinn and Vilnius during the summer — though Russia’s recent belligerence has added urgency to revisiting the plan.
Laura Kayali contributed to this report.
The post EU steps up ‘drone wall’ talks after Russian incursions appeared first on Politico.
