Macron says Europe's proposed 'drone wall' is not 'totally feasible'

ISTANBUL

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said that Europe must scale up its air defense and deterrence capacities rather than rely on the idea of a “drone wall,” which he described as “not totally feasible.”

Speaking after the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Copenhagen, Macron said: “Anti-drone system, our top priority in the war in Ukraine and for our own security and the recent events are the perfect, perfect illustration of that.”

“At the same time, I think we have to be very clear with our people, there is no iron room, Iron Dome for Europe. There is no wall. And perfect wall, drone wall for Europe, we speak about more than 3,000-kilometer (1,864-mile) border. Do you think it’s totally feasible? The answer is, No, we have to scale up our capacities,” he added.

Macron underlined that Europe must adopt a “full-fledged approach,” pointing to deterrence, long-range missile and ballistic capacities, early warning systems, and anti-drone technologies.

“The best way, the best drone wall is to convince your enemy that his interest is not to send any drone to you,” he said.

Ukraine support

He stressed that backing Ukraine remained central to European discussions.

“We reaffirmed – and we were also able to do so in a smaller format with (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy – our support for Ukraine, our determination to continue providing concrete assistance in the areas of air defense, drones, and also long-range missiles,” he said.

“This comes at a moment when, as you saw last week, the United States is moving closer to our position and is showing much clearer support for Ukraine and confidence in the Ukrainian army and its forces of resistance,” Macron added.

On sanctions against Moscow, Macron said Europe was intensifying steps against Russia’s so-called “ghost fleet,” a network of 800 to 1,000 vessels that helps finance the Kremlin’s war effort.

“Our chiefs of staff, in coordination with NATO and within the framework of the coalition of volunteers, will meet to build joint actions over the next few weeks to implement this obstruction policy against the ghost fleet,” he said.