EU Countries, Ukraine Hold Talks On ‘Drone Wall’ To Counter Growing Russian Incursions

Last Updated:September 26, 2025, 19:13 IST

Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine took part in the discussions to discuss the growing threat from Russian incursions.

EU countries have proposed a ‘drone wall’ to defend against Russian drone incursions. (AFP/Representative Image)

Several EU countries held talks on Friday for the European bloc’s plans for a “drone wall” to counter the growing threat of Russian incursions that were recently seen in Poland and Lithuania.

Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine took part in the discussions, according to The Guardian. The talks were led by EU defence commissioner, Andrius Kubilius, with NATO also involved “at the technical level”.

In March, the EU’s executive branch had rejected a request by Estonia and Lithuania to set up a drone wall project. However, tensions along European borders have since increased after Russian drones breached Polish airspace on September 10, and airports in Denmark were temporarily closed due to drone threats.

The talks aimed to discuss the equipment needed by the countries to counter drone attacks and boost NATO’s eastern flank. The focus is on improving the detection and tracking of small and hard-to-spot drones, and coming up with a joint way to respond to any intrusions.

What’s The ‘Drone Wall’?

Earlier this month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the first call for a “drone wall”, hours after NATO jets shot down Russian drones in Poland. She stated that Europe “must heed the call of our Baltic friends and build a drone wall.”

The EU chief stressed that it should be “a European capability developed together, deployed together, and sustained together, that can respond in real time.” She said, “This is not an abstract ambition. It is the bedrock of credible defence.”

Meanwhile, Kubilius said all EU states agreed at the video talks on the “immediate priority” of a “drone wall with advanced detection, tracking and interception capabilities”. He said the programme should be one of the new flagship defence projects that the bloc is working on.

Ukraine’s Involvement

Ukraine, which has been fighting a war with Russia for over 2.5 years, is taking part in the discussions as it has developed a raft of capabilities to detect and shoot down Russian drone swarms more cheaply.

Officials told AFP that the first steps will likely focus on trying to deploy more sensors along the EU’s long eastern frontier to detect drone flights, and that it will likely take much longer to develop an integrated system to take down drones.

The proposed “drone wall” is part of Europe’s wider effort to strengthen its defences in response to the growing threat posed by Russia. While the NATO moved quickly to secure its eastern flank, it still lacks the low-cost capabilities used by Ukraine.

(with inputs from agencies)

About the Author

Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More

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