Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo speaks to the press after a meeting with the European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius at Parliament House in Helsinki, Finland, Friday. The EU commissioner is visiting Helsinki to discuss the proposal to build an anti-drone defense system along the Union’s eastern border. Photo by Kimmo Brandt/EPA
Sept. 26 (UPI) — Several European leaders were to participate in talks Friday afternoon to discuss a “drone wall” to prevent drone attacks from Russia or others.
The event stems from recent unidentified drone sightings in Denmark over Skrydstrup air base as well as Esbjerg and Sonderborg. The country has had to close Aalborg Airport for the second time in three days for safety concerns.
Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulson said in a news briefing that the pattern of attacks appeared to be a “professional actor.”
“This is an arms race against time because technology is constantly evolving,” Lund Poulsen said. “We are going to find the people who are behind this.”
There have also been recent Russian drone sightings over Lithuania, Poland and Romania.
Petteri Orpo, prime minister of Finland, has called on Southern European states to help finance a proposed EU “drone wall” to protect the EU’s eastern border from aerial drone incursions. The system would cover eastern EU countries, including Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
“This is Europe’s border. We are defending Europe here,” The Helsinki Times reported that Orpo said. “We have shown economic solidarity to Southern Europe for 20 years. Now we expect solidarity in security.”
Helsinki’s defense minister Antti Häkkänen echoed the prime minister’s sentiment.
“We think that because northern Europe [showed] solidarity to southern Europe during the pandemic, now it’s our turn, that the eastern flank countries and the northern Europe’s countries must also [get] the solidarity from the western and southern Europe. Everyone has some kind of a crisis in some years, and now it’s our turn,” The Guardian reported Häkkänen said at a morning press conference.
The idea of a drone wall was endorsed this month by Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission. Ukraine has a similar system in place, and the EU said it will learn from Ukraine to protect its lengthy eastern border.
Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine are participating in Friday’s discussions.
EU defense minister Andrius Kubilius will lead the talks, with NATO also involved “at the technical level.”