EU takes unprecedented concrete steps to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities
If the EU continues to believe that Ukraine is its first line of defense, it needs to increase military aid to Kiev, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Poland's TVP World channel on the evening of September 30, local time, quoted a statement on the same day by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying that the European Union (EU) pledged to provide 2 billion euros to support Ukraine in developing unmanned aerial vehicles, in the context that the bloc is enhancing Kiev's battlefield capabilities with unmanned aerial systems.
Speaking in Brussels (Belgium) on September 30 with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ms. von der Leyen described this commitment as the EU's most concrete step ever to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities.
“We need to provide military support to Ukraine,” von der Leyen told reporters. “If we continue to believe that Ukraine is our first line of defense, we must increase military assistance to Ukraine.”
The European Commission President added that the EU and Ukraine have reached an agreement that 2 billion euros will be allocated immediately for the drone sector.
“This allows Ukraine to scale up and unleash its full potential, and of course also allows the EU to benefit from this technology,” said Ms. von der Leyen.
According to TVP World, drone warfare technology has become a key feature of the Russia-Ukraine conflict since Moscow launched a special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukraine has widely used drones as a battlefield weapon to attack Russian positions and infrastructure deep behind the front lines, as well as to protect cities from missile and drone attacks from the Russian Federation.
As a result, from zero, drones have been built into a reputable and significant industry in Ukraine.
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 the need for Europe to strengthen its defense industry in the face of a constant threat from the Russian Federation, saying that the EU "needs capabilities that can coordinate operations."
“Europe must provide a strong and united response to the Russian Federation’s drone incursions on our borders, and that is why we will propose urgent actions to create an anti-drone wall as part of the Eastern flank surveillance system,” said Ms. von der Leyen.
TVP World reports that the EU has begun implementing plans to build an “anti-drone wall” to protect European skies from drone incursions believed to be from the Russian Federation, along with a wider set of measures to secure 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 9 and early morning of September 10, when about 20 drones believed to be from the Russian Federation entered the country’s skies, 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 supported the “anti-drone wall” initiative, calling it a “timely and necessary” measure.
“We need to keep the skies safe,” Mr Rutte said, stressing: “We cannot spend millions of euros or dollars on missiles to shoot down drones that cost only a few thousand dollars.”
“Compensation loan”
Ms von der Leyen also plans to spur debate on how to finance longer-term support for Ukraine by outlining a proposal for so-called “compensation loans” tied to frozen Russian assets in Europe.
The loan will be disbursed in stages under specific conditions, with part of it earmarked for military purchases from European industry, von der Leyen explained.
Importantly, Ms. von der Leyen emphasized, the plan does not involve the direct seizure of Russian assets. Instead, Ukraine would only have to repay the loan if Russia agreed to pay reparations in a future post-war peace agreement.
The announcement comes ahead of a European Council meeting on October 1, when top European leaders will travel to Copenhagen to discuss defense and Ukraine, followed by a European Political Community summit in the Danish capital the following day.
