Europe is in its “most difficult and dangerous situation” since the end of the second world war, Denmark’s prime minister has said at an EU summit dedicated to advancing the continent’s battle readiness by the end of the decade.
Mette Frederiksen is hosting EU leaders in Copenhagen for talks on aiding Ukraine and firming up European defence projects intended to ensure the continent is ready to deter invaders by 2030.
Urging unity, Frederiksen said all European countries were affected by the “Russian hybrid war”, whether through drone incursions or sabotage.
“I hope that everybody recognises now that there is a hybrid war, and one day it’s Poland, the other day it’s Denmark, and next week it will probably be somewhere else that we see sabotage or … drones flying,” she told reporters on Wednesday. “I think we are in the most difficult and dangerous situation since the second world war.”
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, who expressed solidarity with Denmark over recent drone incursions, struck a more restrained note: “We have to be strong to deter any aggressions, but we have to remain above all very cautious and avoid any escalation.”
Macron said it was “a very good thing” France was investigating an oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia’s shadow fleet, but did not confirm a reported link between the vessel and drones over Denmark.
In the run-up to two European summits this week, including a broader gathering of leaders on Thursday, Danish authorities closed airspace to civilian drones, after a spate of unidentified aircraft were spotted at airports.
A German frigate arrived in the Danish capital over the weekend to boost air surveillance, while Sweden and France have also sent equipment and personnel.
Noting that Denmark had not attributed responsibility for the unidentified drones, the European Commission president said she saw a pattern, citing drones in Poland and the violation of Estonian airspace by Russian fighter jets. “This pattern is coming from Russia, in so far as Russia tries to test us,” Ursula von der Leyen said.
Denmark, one of Ukraine’s staunch supporters, has been an early advocate of rearming Europe by 2030. In March, von der Leyen chose to flesh out her €800bn (£700bn) defence spending plan at the Royal Danish Military Academy in Copenhagen, where she endorsed the 2030 goal.
In a paper to European capitals before Wednesday’s meeting, the commission said the EU needed to pursue two plans with “special urgency”: a “drone wall” to detect, track and shoot down such aircraft and a broader system to defend the EU’s eastern borders – on land, in the air and at sea – known as eastern flank watch.
EU member states were urged to agree these broad plans by late October, as well as two other big joint projects, missile defences and a space “shield”.
But leaders are divided over a €140bn reparations loan for Ukraine based on Russia’s frozen assets. The idea has gained momentum since the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, swung behind it last week, but France, Belgium and Luxembourg have doubts.
“When assets are frozen, one has to respect international law,” Macron said on Wednesday, voicing his agreement with Belgium’s prime minister, Bart De Wever, who has said he is concerned his country could be left alone with the risk.
Belgium and France hold stakes in the Brussels-based financial institution Euroclear, where €183bn Russian sovereign assets have been frozen since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“Taking Putin’s money and leaving the risks with us: that is not going to happen,” De Wever told local media last week.
The commission believes it has a legally secure way to use the assets for Ukraine without touching Russia’s property rights. Under the plan, Ukraine would receive an interest-free EU loan that would be repaid once Moscow sent Kyiv reparations for the colossal damage inflicted during the war.
Finland, Sweden and Ireland were among the countries to announce their support for the plan on Wednesday.
The EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, a longtime supporter of using Russia’s frozen assets to aid Ukraine, said her team wanted to move as fast as possible but acknowledged that not all member states supported the plan.
She played down concerns the plan would damage investor confidence in the eurozone: “If you don’t start the war against another country, then you are out of the risk.”
