European governments spent Friday, 26 September 2025, coordinating responses to a series of drone-related incidents while debating longer-term security and financing measures linked to Russia’s war against Ukraine. The day’s developments ranged from tactical steps to protect upcoming summits to strategic proposals for a large, interest-free loan to Ukraine backed by frozen Russian state assets.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian authorities had recorded violations of the country’s airspace by reconnaissance drones likely originating from Hungary. According to Zelenskyy, preliminary assessments indicate the aircraft may have been surveying the industrial capacity of Ukraine’s border regions. His remarks coincided with Kyiv’s decision to bar three Hungarian military officials in response to Budapest’s earlier move against Ukrainian officials. Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, rejected the allegations and characterised Kyiv’s stance as anti-Hungarian, adding a sharply worded personal criticism of Zelenskyy.
Parallel to this bilateral dispute, Denmark and partner countries moved to reduce immediate operational risk around next week’s informal European Council and European Political Community meetings in Copenhagen. Denmark confirmed it had accepted Sweden’s offer to deploy an anti-drone system to help ensure the summits proceed without disruption, following a week of unconfirmed sightings that prompted brief airspace closures and heightened public concern. Copenhagen acknowledged that initial responses had at times been slow, saying procedures and technical measures were being improved and that imagery gathered may aid identification of the platforms involved.
At the EU level, ministers from several member states—joined by Ukraine—held discussions on a proposed drone wall, conceived as a coordinated, multi-layered detection and interception architecture spanning parts of the Union’s eastern and northern flank. EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius emphasised that recent events pointed to the need for expanded capabilities, beginning with detection (radars, acoustic sensors and other low-altitude surveillance tools) and extending to electronic warfare, interceptor drones and, where appropriate and cost-effective, traditional air-defence assets. Officials reiterated the practical constraint that expensive munitions should not be expended against comparatively cheap drones wherever alternative countermeasures can be fielded. Participants said work would be delegated to national sherpas for rapid follow-up, with hopes for political guidance at the October European Council.
Nordic and Baltic leaders stressed alliance-wide cohesion. Finland’s defence minister, Antti Häkkänen, argued that solidarity should flow to northern and eastern Europe now, just as these regions supported southern and western member states during the pandemic. Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, warned that Russia’s intentions remain adverse not only to neighbours but to the broader international community, reinforcing calls for vigilance and joint action.
Beyond the EU, the wider security climate featured sharper rhetoric. The Kremlin denounced as irresponsible and dangerous recent calls—framed broadly as European in origin—for the downing of Russian military aircraft should they violate other nations’ airspace, following comments made to reporters by U.S. president Donald Trump. Moscow’s spokesman urged restraint while avoiding a direct reference to Trump by name.
Financial support for Ukraine advanced on a separate, legal-technical track. A two-page European Commission paper circulating in Brussels outlined an approach to raise an interest-free loan of approximately €140 billion for Ukraine, secured against the revenue stream and legal promise of reparations tied to the roughly €176–183 billion in Russian central bank assets immobilised at Euroclear in Belgium. Under the concept, Russia would retain legal ownership of the assets, and eventual reparations would service the EU loan; member states would provide guarantees to ensure Euroclear’s liabilities could be honoured when sanctions are lifted. Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, publicly endorsed the framework while cautioning against outright confiscation on grounds of international law and currency stability. Because sanctions renewals currently require unanimity, the Commission is exploring legal avenues to safeguard the regime by qualified majority in matters deemed of strategic interest, thereby limiting veto risks.
Several national initiatives complemented these debates. Romania signalled interest in partnering with Ukraine to co-produce drones using EU defence funds under the SAFE initiative, noting that a fully layered air-defence network will take years to complete and that interim asymmetric means will be needed. Denmark briefed partners on its recent experience with drone reports, while Sweden offered additional counter-drone capacity to support the Copenhagen summits. Denmark, meanwhile, confirmed there were no plans to invoke NATO’s Article 4 consultations in relation to the incidents observed to date.
In the cultural sphere, the European Broadcasting Union announced that members will vote in early November on whether to expel Israel’s public broadcaster from Eurovision 2026, citing divergent national positions and the need for a collective decision. Separately, European governments and industry groups reacted to a new U.S. tariff threat on pharmaceuticals, expressing concern over potential supply-chain disruptions and seeking clarity on how such measures would interact with existing EU–U.S. understandings.
Overall, European officials portrayed the drone incidents and hybrid activities more broadly as part of a persistent security landscape rather than short-lived anomalies. The immediate focus is on practical mitigation—protecting critical infrastructure and major political events—while the medium-term agenda centres on coordinated capability development and sustainable financing mechanisms for Ukraine’s defence and recovery, all while maintaining legal robustness and allied unity.
Gros News 
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