BERLIN \u2014 Europe\u2019s defense and autonomy were front and center in Wednesday\u2019s State of the European Union address by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a combative speech that was interspersed with applause and some jeers from the far right, she characterized the present time as \u201cEurope\u2019s independence moment\u201d and unveiled a series of new EU initiatives to strengthen the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the measures is a \u201cdrone alliance\u201d that the EU will form with Ukraine. The \u20ac6 billion ($7 billion) program is designed \u201cso that Ukraine keeps its edge, and Europe strengthens its own,\u201d Von der Leyen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She pointed to Ukraine\u2019s drone-warfare revolution, having gone from few such weapons to unmanned systems now accounting for over two-thirds of Russian equipment losses on the battlefield, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Von der Leyen, who serves as the head of the EU\u2019s executive branch, announced a series of additional measures, including a \u201cdrone wall\u201d to protect the 27 member countries from aerial incursions coming from Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last night, in a dramatic escalation, roughly a dozen Russian drones entered Polish airspace, with one residential building reportedly damaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is no doubt: Europe\u2019s eastern flank keeps all of Europe safe, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea,\u201d said Von der Leyen, unveiling a new project she dubbed Eastern Flank Watch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis means providing Europe with independent strategic means,\u201d the commission president said, including real-time space surveillance capabilities to detect troop movements. There should not be \u201cany ambiguity about our intentions,\u201d Von der Leyen said: \u201cEurope will defend every inch of its territory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Von der Leyen also announced new \u201creparation loans\u201d to support Ukraine, coming from Russian assets frozen in European bank accounts. The loan is to be backed by cash balances \u2013 interest and investment returns \u2013 and profits generated from frozen Russian assets, not the assets themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The EU has approximately \u20ac210 billion ($246 billion) in Russian Central Bank assets immobilized within its borders. These frozen funds generate interest and investment returns that typically yield \u20ac2.5 to \u20ac3 billion ($2.9 to 3.5 billion) annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukraine will only be expected to repay this loan once it receives Russian reparations, according to Von der Leyen\u2019s plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Europe has already provided \u20ac170 billion ($199 billion) in military and financial aid to Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Von der Leyen also announced a tougher stance on Israel for its actions in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe commission will do all that it can do on its own,\u201d she said, a nod to bypassing EU infighting. The plan is to put bilateral support to Israel on hold and propose sanctions on extremist government officials and violent settlers, as well as a partial suspension of the association agreement on trade-related matters, Von der Leyen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The announcement was followed by cheers and some jeers. A large part of the parliamentarians she was addressing, particularly those on the left, wore red as a sign of solidarity with Gazans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Von der Leyen also announced new \u201creparation loans\u201d to support Ukraine, coming from Russian assets frozen in European bank accounts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":119470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":46,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[160,46,11,36,27],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3463],"class_list":["post-71446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-europe","category-global","category-newsletters","category-unmanned"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"Q53S3Y2DKBEXJHT7UZAL6TCRGE","arc_canonical_url":"\/global\/europe\/2025\/09\/10\/a-drone-wall-and-ukraine-pact-the-eu-ups-its-ambitions-on-defense\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n