Hungary joins discussion on European drone wall, media reports
Photo: EU Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius (Getty Images)
Despite its pro-Russian stance and concerns from other European Union members, Hungary still participated in the September 26 meeting, where the drone wall defense project was discussed, The Washington Post reports.
It was reported that on September 26, EU Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius chaired a meeting dedicated to the drone wall. According to the outlet, officials from Bulgaria, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, as well as Hungary participated. Representatives from Ukraine and NATO were also present.
The material states that the goal was to determine what equipment these countries have to counter drone incursions, what else they might need to close any gaps on NATO’s eastern flank, and for Kubilius to identify where EU funds could support these efforts.
At the EU summit in Copenhagen next Wednesday, member state leaders will discuss the conclusions from the September 26 meeting. Initially, efforts will focus on the eastern flank, which is closest to Ukraine and Russia. However, the European Commission hopes that other EU members will join the initiative.
Kubilius noted that the EU could significantly improve its drone detection capabilities within a year, though he acknowledged that creating a full defense network will take considerable time.
Earlier, it was reported that seven EU member states — Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria — were invited to the drone wall meeting. Slovakia and Hungary were initially expected to be excluded due to their governments’ pro-Russian stances.
However, by September 25, it became known that Slovakia would join the first discussion on the drone wall. Hungary did not publicly announce such intentions, but it turned out that Budapest also participated in the discussion.
