The EU takes unprecedented concrete steps to bolster Ukraine's defenses.

Polish channel TVP World reported on the evening of September 30th, local time, citing a statement from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that the European Union (EU) is committed to providing 2 billion euros to support Ukraine in developing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as the bloc strengthens Kyiv's battlefield capabilities with unmanned aerial systems.

Speaking in Brussels, Belgium, on September 30 alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, von der Leyen described this commitment as the most concrete step yet taken by the EU to bolster Ukraine's defenses.

Speaking to reporters, von der Leyen said: “We need to provide military support to Ukraine. If we continue to believe that Ukraine is our first line of defense, we must increase military aid to Ukraine.”

The President of the European Commission added that the EU and Ukraine have reached an agreement that 2 billion euros will be allocated immediately to the drone sector.

"This allows Ukraine to scale up and fully utilize its capabilities, and of course also allows the EU to benefit from this technology," von der Leyen said.

According to TVP World, drone technology has become a key feature of the Russia-Ukraine conflict since Moscow launched its special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukraine has extensively used drones as a battlefield weapon to attack Russian positions and infrastructure deep behind front lines, as well as to defend cities against missile and drone attacks from Russia.

The result was that, starting from nothing, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been built by Ukraine into a reputable and significant industry.

Furthermore, the country even offered to share its experience in preventing alleged Russian drone intrusions into the airspace of countries along NATO's eastern flank, including Poland.

Eastern flank of Europe

Ms. von der Leyen also emphasized that Europe needs to strengthen its defense industry in the face of the constant threat from the Russian Federation, and stated that the EU "needs capabilities that can coordinate operations."

Ms. von der Leyen said: “Europe must deliver a strong and unified response to the Russian Federation’s drone incursions on our borders, and that is why we will propose urgent action to create an anti-drone wall as part of the Eastern flank surveillance system.”

TVP World reports that the EU has begun implementing a plan to build an “anti-drone wall” to protect European skies from drone intrusions allegedly originating from the Russian Federation, along with a broader range of measures to ensure the security of the eastern flank of the “old continent”.

The initiative to build an "anti-drone wall" was launched after an unprecedented violation of Polish airspace on the night of September 9th and the early morning of September 10th, when approximately 20 drones, believed to be from the Russian Federation, intruded into the country's airspace, forcing NATO to launch a new Operation Eastern Sentry.

In the following weeks, Romania, Estonia, and Denmark, all NATO members, also reported their airspace being violated by Russian aircraft.

Speaking alongside Ms. von der Leyen, the NATO Secretary General endorsed the "anti-drone wall" initiative, calling it a "timely and necessary" measure.

"We need to keep the skies safe," Rutte said, adding, "We can't spend millions of euros or dollars on missiles to shoot down drones that only cost a few thousand dollars."

"Compensation loan"

Ms. von der Leyen also outlined a plan to advance the debate on how to finance long-term support for Ukraine by outlining a proposal for a so-called “compensation loan” linked to frozen Russian assets in Europe.

According to von der Leyen's explanation, the loan will be disbursed in stages under specific conditions, with a portion allocated to military procurement from European industry.

Importantly, von der Leyen stressed, this plan does not involve the direct seizure of Russian assets. Instead, Ukraine would only have to repay the loan if the Russian Federation agrees to pay reparations in a future post-war peace agreement.

This announcement comes ahead of the European Council meeting on October 1st, when top European leaders will travel to Copenhagen to discuss defense and Ukraine, followed by the European Political Community summit in the Danish capital the following day.