Politico: EU summit in Copenhagen to address drone threat, push for "drone wall"

European Union leaders will convene on October 1 in Copenhagen for a high-stakes summit centered on escalating aerial threats and the bloc’s urgent push toward military self-reliance.

In response to recent Russian provocations — including fighter jets breaching NATO airspace and mysterious drone disruptions at Copenhagen’s airport — the EU is preparing to discuss sweeping defence measures, including a proposed “drone wall” to detect, track, and neutralise aerial intrusions, Politico writes. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is leading the charge for a historic shift in EU priorities, pushing military capability onto the agenda traditionally dominated by trade and economics. The summit marks the bloc’s most serious move yet to confront external threats without relying solely on the United States.

“The goal [in Copenhagen] is to gather sufficient support from other countries to isolate Orbán,” said one EU diplomat, referencing Hungary’s resistance to EU plans to seize frozen Russian assets — a key part of financing defence upgrades and continued support for Ukraine.

The backdrop is increasingly volatile. NATO allies, including the US, have signaled a harsher stance on Russian incursions, with President Donald Trump’s ambiguous position causing unease.

“That is very difficult when the U.S. president, the biggest ally in the NATO alliance, says ‘feel free to shoot [Russian jets] down, but whether I have your backs, I don’t know,’” warned Rafael Loss, defence policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Privately, EU officials fear a “Franz Ferdinand moment,” where a sudden incident could trigger a continent-wide conflict. Still, while there is growing consensus on the need for deterrence, leaders remain deeply divided over how to fund Europe’s transformation into a global power.

A follow-up summit in Brussels is scheduled for late October, where leaders aim to finalise decisions on defence spending, Ukrainian aid, and how to navigate Hungary’s obstruction.

By Sabina Mammadli