Kyiv has been pioneering drone innovation since the start of Russia’s invasion, with unmanned aerial vehicles now a key asset in responding to Russian attacks. That’s why Ukraine’s perspective is critical when Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius convenes a call between the representatives of 10 countries along Europe’s eastern flank on Friday.
The Commission has invited Ukraine’s defence minister, Denys Shmyhal, to join a call with “frontline countries” [Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Ukraine] .
[Slovakia was not expected to join earlier this week. And it remains unclear whether Hungary, another country with external borders to this east, was part of the discussion. No reports about the call has been published yet.]
...
“Ukraine is far ahead of all European NATO countries in terms of drone and especially anti-drone technology,” said Carlo Masala, head of the Center for Intelligence and Security Studies at the German Armed Forces University in Munich.
For Masala, Ukraine drone manufacturers can provide know-how to mitigate jamming and spoofing technologies from Russia, he added.
The Commission said this week that capitals could support the drone wall through the €150 billion SAFE loans allocated to 19 countries, and tap into the €1.5 billion EDIP programme, still subject to negotiations.
...
Another way for Kyiv to participate in the financing initiative would be to set up production in the EU. In June, Denmark signed a deal with Kyiv for Ukrainian defence companies to open production lines in the country, starting with a €1.4 billion investment. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also announced at the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday that the country will lift its arm exports ban introduced after Russia’s invasion, which could allow for exports of Ukraine-made drones.
...