Ukraine shows success with long-range drone attacks against Russia

Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden, shares his perspective on European politics.

How is Ukraine doing in the war?

Well, they seem to be making incremental gains on the ground in the south of Ukraine against the Russian occupation forces. But most spectacular, of course, have been the successes they've had with long-range drone attacks in big numbers, where they have been successful in attacking Russian air bases 700 kilometers away from the territory of Ukraine, causing significant damage to significant Russian assets. That's a new dimension of the war. And it shows that Ukraine has the ability to develop new technology on its own, independent of the very important support that they're getting from Europe and from the United States.

Is the European Union getting ready to be enlarged with Ukraine, Moldova and the Baltic states?

Well, that's going to be the big debate that is coming up in the next few months. There is a recognition that, yes, Ukraine has to have a membership perspective and negotiations probably will have to be started towards the end of this year with Ukraine. And Moldova, it's a process of several years. And then the big question is what to do with the countries of the Western Balkans that have been promised sort of membership or give it a membership perspective no less than 20 years ago. But this is a huge change that will dominate the politics of the European Union for years to come. And it's the beginning of a very important debate in the weeks and months ahead.