Brussels has left Hungary and Slovakia out of first-round talks on a proposed eastern border drone shield.

Hungary and Slovakia are not invited to a high-level video conference on 26 September to discuss an EU “drone wall” along the bloc’s eastern frontier, a European Commission spokesperson said. The session, convened by EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius, will bring together Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, alongside Ukraine.

The two countries are the only EU neighbours of Ukraine excluded from the initial meeting. Both have kept comparatively close ties with Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and have repeatedly resisted tougher EU measures against Moscow.

The talks come after several incidents involving Russian unmanned aerial vehicles on NATO’s eastern flank, including Romanian airspace violations and drones downed over Poland. In response to an incursion, Poland triggered consultations under NATO’s Article 4.

NATO has since launched its Eastern Sentry mission to tighten airspace security for allies. Contributions include Czechia’s Mi‑171S helicopters, UK Typhoon fighter jets, Denmark’s two F‑16s and an anti‑air warfare frigate, France’s three Rafales, and Germany’s four Eurofighters.

According to the Commission, the meeting will assess participating countries’ capabilities and needs to shape next steps in coordination with Ukraine and other member states. Officials indicated the format could be expanded at a later stage.

Source: Kyiv Independent.