European talks on drone wall to counter airspace violations

BRUSSELS — Representatives from European countries with borders near Russia and Ukraine gathered Friday to discuss a so‑called “drone wall” designed to plug gaps in their defenses after a string of airspace violations.

Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have pressed ahead with the project, but in March the European Union's executive branch rejected a joint Estonia-Lithuania request for funds to launch it. Since then, Europe’s borders have been repeatedly tested by rogue drones. Russia has been blamed for some incidents but denies that it acted on purpose or that it played a role. NATO jets were scrambled on Sept. 10 to shoot down several Russian drones that breached Polish airspace, in an expensive response to a relatively cheap threat. Airports in Denmark were temporarily closed this week after drones were flown nearby.

EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius is chairing the video-link talks, which will bring together those countries plus officials from Bulgaria, Denmark, Romania and Slovakia, along with representatives from Ukraine and NATO. The goal is to establish what equipment each country already has to counter drone intrusions, what more might be needed to plug gaps along NATO’s eastern flank, and where EU funds could be found to help the effort.

The discussions come as lawmakers and EU leaders have publicly urged faster and closer cooperation on drone defense. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said Europe must heed the call of its Baltic neighbors and build a drone wall, arguing that the project is not an abstract ambition but a bedrock of credible defense. She has also cited a plan to earmark about 6 billion euros ($7 billion) to set up a drone alliance with Ukraine, whose armed forces have relied on drones to blunt Russian losses—drones that have accounted for roughly two-thirds of all equipment losses suffered by Russian forces.

The meetings underscore a broader push to create a real-time, pan‑European capability developed, deployed and sustained together to respond to airspace threats across the continent. Officials are weighing how to align national inventories, coordinate interoperability, and determine how EU funds could support a unified, cross-border defensive posture along NATO’s eastern flank while addressing the practical and legal challenges that such a cross-national effort entails.

In recent weeks, European authorities have faced multiple drone-related disruptions, including airspace closures and heightened security alerts. While Russia has denied deliberate involvement in some incidents, the pattern has prompted calls from Baltic states and other neighbors for stronger, collective defenses that can deter or quickly respond to incursions from the air or near borders.

The Friday talks mark a milestone in ongoing discussions about a drone-enabled shield for Europe’s eastern edge, with participants aiming to draft a roadmap that clarifies leadership, funding lines and deployment timelines as soon as possible.