EU defence ministers from nine member states, including Poland, took part in a video conference on the initiative, which aims to integrate air, land and maritime defenses to counter threats from Russia. The project would deploy advanced drone detection and interception systems, bolster naval readiness in the Baltic and Black Seas, and extend to satellite-based situational awareness.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Russia posed a threat not just to Ukraine but to the entire “free world,” with frontline states like Poland and the Baltics most exposed. “European allies have never been so united on security. There can be no tolerance for violations of our territory or airspace,” he said, backing recent hardline warnings from Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski at the UN Security Council.
The push for coordinated European defenses comes as incidents of drone activity disrupt civilian infrastructure in northern Europe. Airports in Copenhagen and Aalborg were temporarily shut this week in what Danish officials linked to suspected Russian interference.
Poland stands to be the biggest beneficiary of the EU’s new defense financing tools, with EUR 43.7 billion earmarked under the bloc’s SAFE loan programme for military procurement. Warsaw says the funds will accelerate modernization and reinforce NATO’s eastern flank.
The EU aims to secure political endorsement of the Eastern Flank Guard at its October summit, with leaders expected to fold the project into a broader roadmap for European defence. Officials say cooperation with Ukraine will be central, drawing on Kyiv’s battlefield experience in drone warfare.
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Source: PAP