The British "Financial Times" website reported on the 17th that Europe is seeking to use Ukrainian technology to build a "drone wall" against Russia. After the recent frequent reports of drones "invading" the airspace of NATO countries, the EU is stepping up spending billions of euros to build a "drone wall" using technology that has been tested in actual combat in Ukraine to fill NATO's security loopholes. According to the report, NATO's response to Russian drones entering the airspace of Poland and Romania last week showed that relying on expensive technology to intercept relatively cheap drones is an obvious loophole that "can easily be further exploited by Russia". In this regard, the EU encourages the governments of member states to use EU funds to jointly purchase effective systems in Ukraine to fill the loopholes.
The EU needs to coordinate defence.
Last week, hours after NATO warplanes shot down several of some 19 drones entering Polish airspace, European Commission President von der Leyen reportedly said Europe must "build a drone wall" along its eastern border. It will be a "force co-developed, co-deployed and co-sustained by Europe that can respond in real time," she said. The EU will also establish a "drone alliance" with Ukraine and provide 6 billion euros in financing support to "transform Ukraine's creativity into battlefield superiority and joint industrialization."
The project will first deploy a complete set of drone reconnaissance systems operated by artificial intelligence and complemented by a dense ground sensor network, satellite surveillance and mobile counter-platforms to detect and interfere with potential threats. It is that Poland, Finland and the Baltic countries and other EU neighbors have announced plans to strengthen their borders according to their weaknesses, but EU officials have warned that this approach will only be effective when it is established on a unified and fully integrated technology. One EU official said that European national defense is “too fragmented” and needs “more coordination”, otherwise Russia will announce plans to strengthen its border response according to the weaknesses of the countries. The Eastern Alliance member states will receive €100 billion in defence-related loans, this money comes from
Putin at the shooting scene.
According to the Associated Press, Russian drones entered Poland and other countries sparked NATO concerns, and Russia's joint strategic exercise "West-2025" with Belarus further aggravated the tension. Belarus demonstrated its conventional military strength and nuclear force during the military exercises to deter the West and warn it not to send foreign troops to Ukraine.
According to the TASS news agency, the "West-2025" joint strategic exercise closed on the 16th. On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin dressed in military uniform and visited the Mulino shooting range in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Putin said that the exercise was held at 41 land and sea training grounds in Russia and Belarus from 12th to 16th, with a total of 100,000 soldiers, about 10,000 weapons and equipment systems and more than 200 surface ships and submarines participating. The experience of special military operations is used for reference in the formulation of exercise plans. According to reports, six countries including India and Iran sent military personnel to participate in the exercise. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov said on the 16th that the West "acted hysterically and overreacted" to the military exercise, thus escalating the situation.
Sean Panel, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense, confirmed on Friday that two officers from the U.S. Embassy in Belarus were invited to attend the joint strategic exercise "West-2025".The U.S. side accepted the invitation to attend the event in view of the recent productive bilateral contacts between the two countries.
The Russian "Izvestia" website reported on the 17th that European countries actively used this exercise as an excuse to strengthen their military strength in the areas bordering Russia and Belarus. For example, Poland and Latvia closed their airspace on the border with Russia and Belarus as early as the day before the start of the "West-2025" exercise, and Poland also decided to dispatch tens of thousands of soldiers to its eastern border. The Polish Ministry of National Defense stated that Poland recently carried out live-fire shooting of the "Vistula" medium-range air defense system for the first time in the Baltic Sea. This is part of NATO's "Steel Defender" exercise, which is being carried out in areas close to the Kaliningrad Oblast border and the Baltic Sea coast. According to a report by the TASS news agency on the 17th, Polish President Navrotsky told French media that Poland should be given the opportunity to deploy foreign nuclear weapons on its territory, and at the same time, it should also promote the development of its own nuclear energy. "I think Poland should participate in the 'Nuclear Sharing' program," he said, adding that Poland should have its own nuclear technology. However, he did not make it clear whether Poland plans to develop nuclear weapons, saying that it is "too early" to talk about this issue at present.
According to the U.N. website, UN Secretary-General Guterres said on the 16th that Russia’s positions were “very different” and that progress in the peace process in Ukraine was “not optimistic” in the short term.
US resumes supply of weapons to Ukraine
According to an exclusive Reuters report on the 17th, two sources revealed that according to a newly reached agreement with NATO allies, the United States will resume supplying weapons to Ukraine, and delivery and transportation may soon be carried out. Sources further revealed that U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Colby in charge of policy approved two batches of weapons assistance worth $500 million each under a new mechanism called the "Ukraine Priority Needs List" aimed at enhancing Kiev's military strength.
This is the first time the U.S. and its NATO allies have adopted a new mechanism: to supply weapons to Ukraine from U.S. stocks and to be deposited by NATO countries. The U.S. Congressional Gazette said on July 17, that U.S. President Trump announced an agreement with NATO that weapons will be shipped to Ukraine, most of which will be borne by NATO European allies. The Congressional Gazette noted that the U.S. Department of Defense had previously suspended the shipment to Ukraine of some defensive weapons, including air defense missiles and ammunition, due to concerns that U.S. stocks were exhausted. But as Trump intensified criticism of Russia’s ongoing attacks, the U.S. Troop Commander changed his attitude to supply weapons to Kiev