Ukraine to Join EU Talks on Building “Drone Wall” to Shield Eastern Border

Ukraine has been invited to take part in upcoming negotiations among European Union defense ministers on plans to establish a “drone wall” along the bloc’s eastern frontier.

The Gaze reports this, referring to Reuters.

The meeting, announced by European Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius, is scheduled for next week and will gather EU defense chiefs alongside Ukrainian representatives. 

According to Kubilius, some member states had already floated the concept of a defensive barrier against drones, and the EU’s executive body now intends to accelerate efforts to turn the idea into a coordinated project.

Kubilius, a former Lithuanian prime minister and the EU’s first-ever defense commissioner, said he had just returned from Kyiv, where he held talks with government officials and defense industry leaders. 

“They're keen to share their experience and know-how,” he told Reuters in a telephone interview, stressing that Ukraine’s frontline expertise would be vital in shaping the design of the system.

He explained that the “drone wall” is still at a conceptual stage, but could combine a network of sensors, electronic warfare systems, and layered air-defense weapons capable of detecting and neutralizing hostile drones. 

While cost estimates and timelines have not yet been defined, some analysts suggest the initiative could be implemented within a year.

“We really want to move ahead with very, very intensive and effective preparations to start to fill this gap, which is really very dangerous for us... as quickly as we can do it,” Kubilius said.

The push for a defensive shield comes after repeated Russian drone incursions across the eastern flank of NATO and the EU. 

Earlier this month, Poland reported that 20 Russian drones entered its airspace, most from Belarus and several through Ukrainian skies during a combined strike. Warsaw dismissed Moscow’s claims that the incident was accidental, calling it a deliberate attack.

The attack followed one of the largest drone and missile barrages of the war on August 7, when Russia launched more than 800 drones and 13 missiles against multiple Ukrainian cities, including the first direct strike on the Cabinet of Ministers building in Kyiv. 

As The Gaze reported earlier, Western officials are voicing support for a Ukrainian proposal known as Sky Shield, a plan that would allow allied aircraft to shoot down Russian drones and missiles over Ukraine’s western regions before they reach European borders.