European leaders gather to discuss security and Ukraine war following drone incidents

European leaders are converging on Copenhagen on Wednesday for two summits focused on security, defense and the war in Ukraine, following a spate of troubling drone incidents at Danish airports and military bases over the last week

European leaders are converging on Copenhagen on Wednesday for two summits focused on security, defense and the war in Ukraine, following a spate of troubling drone incidents at Danish airports and military bases over the last week.

Denmark’s defense ministry said that a precision radar system has been set up at Copenhagen airport to help keep watch. Unidentified drones forced the closure of the airfield a week ago, causing major disruptions to air traffic.

Danish police at Copenhagen Airport on Sept. 23, following disruption by drones.Steven Knap / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP - Getty ImagesFrance, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the U.K. also sent aircraft, ships and air defense systems to Denmark ahead of the summits. Ukraine’s armed forces have dispatched a mission to the Nordic country for joint exercises, sharing its expertise on combating Russian drones.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Monday on social media that while authorities can’t conclude who is behind the hybrid attacks, “we can find that there is primarily one country that poses a threat to Europe’s security — and that’s Russia.”

Russia is the focus of Wednesday’s European Union leaders meeting, where discussions are expected to center on how to prepare Europe to fend off Russian aggression by 2030, especially as the United States turns its focus on security concerns in Asia and elsewhere.