Overview

• Leaders opened their first focused debate on a counter‑drone network along the eastern flank, with scope, control and funding still unsettled.
• The Commission’s plan to use about €140 billion in frozen Russian state assets as interest‑free loans to Ukraine drew support from Germany but faces legal and political hurdles.
• Von der Leyen was tasked to present a fuller rearmament package at the late‑October summit, including initiatives for Baltic and Black Sea maritime security and ground defenses.
• Denmark tightened protections after unidentified drone activity, enforcing a temporary ban on civilian drones and drawing allied support, including a German air‑defense frigate in port.
• Germany’s cabinet adopted a 40‑page modernization agenda and advanced domestic counter‑drone reforms, proposing limited Bundeswehr involvement and a joint federal‑state defense center.