BRUSSELS

After recent Russian air incursions, EU countries on Thursday held their first talks on building an anti-drone defense system, with European Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius stressing that "the Eastern Flank Watch, with the ‘Drone Wall’ as its core, will serve all of Europe."

Defense ministers from Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania attended the virtual meeting, joined by Hungary, Slovakia, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, and the Danish Council Presidency. Ukraine also participated in a separate session, with NATO present as an observer.

"The repeated violations of our airspace are unacceptable. The message is clear: Russia is testing the EU and NATO. And our response must be firm, united, and immediate," Kubilius told reporters in Helsinki after the meeting, stressing that the plan would serve the security of all Europe.

Kubilius said the ministers agreed that the Eastern Flank Watch, with the "Drone Wall" at its core, includes advanced detection and interception systems, ground defenses, maritime security in the Baltic and Black Seas, and space-based situational awareness, drawing also on Ukraine’s battlefield experience.

He said a technical roadmap and financial framework will be prepared in coordination with national experts, while political backing will be sought at the European Council on Oct. 23-24.

"Today's meeting was a milestone -- now we focus on delivery," an EU official added.

Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said the meeting was “a valuable starting point” for achieving concrete results.

"Recent incidents show that there is a need to analyze jointly our concrete next steps... Detection, counter-drone, and command-and-control capabilities are all important... This work should be coordinated closely with NATO and we are on the right track with that cooperation now," he said.

The talks come after multiple EU states, including Poland, Romania, Latvia, Estonia, Norway, and Denmark, reported airspace violations or disruptions by drones, some confirmed to be of Russian origin.