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Drone wall plan tests Europe’s cohesion
First there was the Russian drone in Poland. Then Romania. Then Russian jets flew into Estonian airspace, while some unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) shut down Denmark’s airports.
In recent weeks, Russian aircraft have been illegally violating European airspace with greater frequency and boldness.
What are the Europeans going to do about it? One possible answer emerged last week, when the European Commission announced it would explore building a so-called “drone wall,” an air defense system involving radars, sensors, and missiles that aims to detect and destroy drones that pass through Europe’s eastern borders.
One former NATO leader suggested the wall could be operational within a year.
The idea for a drone wall, though, will test Europe’s – and, more broadly, NATO’s – ability to agree on the system’s costs, deployment, and even its purpose. The subject will be one of the hottest items on the agenda as European Union leaders meet in Copenhagen this week to discuss the continent’s collective defense.
Eurasia Group’s Europe Director Jan Techau said there are a few different paths that Europe could take. It could build a drone wall along NATO’s eastern flank that would involve shooting down UAVs, create a system that merely jams Russian drones to make them inoperable, or simply boost drone defenses as part of a broader effort to update Europe’s air defenses across the continent.
“The big, decisive question is,” said Techau, “when the EC’s defense chief Andrius Kubilius brings the defense ministers together in Brussels for an EU defense ministers meeting, how much support will [the drone wall] get?”
Some, such as German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, are already pouring cold water on the idea, arguing this week that it would take at least three or four years to build such a defense mechanism.
“Drone defense, of course,” he said, “but not by a drone wall.”
There are also questions over the rules of engagement for any new anti-drone defenses. If a Russian UAV enters NATO airspace, it’s “fair game” for a NATO country to shoot it down, per Techau – Poland did just that last month. But some say the system should aim beyond that.
At Eurasia Group’s Europe Summit last month, former US Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder suggested shooting down Russian drones before they enter NATO territory, creating dicey dilemmas.
“What if Europeans shot down Russian drones in Ukrainian airspace? Would that make them a party in the war?” Techau questioned. “So far, most Europeans fear that the answer is yes. So they won’t do it. Which is why Daalder’s suggestion sounds unrealistic to me.”
Still, the spate of recent drone incursions in Eastern Europe – as well as the increasing role of UAVs in modern warfare – has created urgency around the need for more effective defenses against unmanned aircraft.
“Something will happen. There will be more drone defense. There’s a greater sense of urgency,” said Techau. “Now the big question is whether it can be a pan-European effort, or whether it will be individual national efforts.”
A drone view of rescue workers conducting a rescue operation at a collapsed building in the aftermath of a 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Bogo, Cebu, Philippines, on October 1, 2025.
Hard Numbers: Earthquake rocks the Philippines, UN expands Haiti mission, Moscow cuts military budget, & More
69: A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Cebu, Philippines, late Tuesday night, killing at least 69 and injuring hundreds. The quake caused landslides, building collapses, and power outages in a region still recovering from recent storms.
5,500: The UN has approved expanding its Haiti security mission into a 5,500-strong force to combat rampant gang violence. Backed by the US and Panama, the decision will add to the current 1,000 officers, mostly from Kenya, already deployed to support Haitian police.
$156 billion: Russia’s military budget next year is set to be $156 billion, down from the $163 billion this year, marking the first drop since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Still, the military budget remains high – it’s nearly four times larger than in 2021. To help fund the war effort, the government is also set to increase the value-added tax from 20% to 22%.
15: South African opposition leader Julius Malema – who heads the far-left, black nationalist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) – was found guilty of publicly discharging a firearm, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years. Malema fired 14 to 15 rounds in front of 20,000 supporters during an EFF celebration in the Eastern Cape in 2018.
Russian drone attacks are reshaping life in Ukraine
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has settled into a grinding, no-end-in-sight war of attrition. Tens of thousands of drones now swarm the skies, threatening the lives of millions of Ukrainians near the frontline as well as western cities like Kyiv. On the latest episode of GZERO World, Ian Bremmer sits down with Christopher Miller, chief Ukraine correspondent for the Financial Times, for a firsthand look at how Russia’s war has transformed life into “hell” for Ukrainian civilians who live in constant fear of drone attacks, long range missiles, and aerial bombs.
Russian drones are now capable of flying nearly 40 or 50 kilometers, putting entire cities near the border within striking distance. Urban warfare in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region has become slow, bloody and devastating for the Ukrainians who still live there. Even far from the trenches, in Kyiv and Lviv, citizens endure nightly aerial raid sirens and attacks, hiding in bomb shelters and metro stations to avoid injury from shrapnel and debris. Miller says that drone warfare means nowhere in Ukraine is safe. From the frontlines to the border of the EU, it’s a war zone.
“I go to bed every night anticipating there to be another air attack,” Miller says, “We don't sleep much and we get up in the morning and we look outside and we see the destruction. That might mean 20 people killed on one day. It can mean 40 people injured the next.”
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔). GZERO World with Ian Bremmer airs on US public television weekly - check local listings.
Putin's drone battle for Ukraine's skies
The battlefield in Ukraine has moved from the ground to the skies, with Russia ramping up drone production and launching bigger, more powerful aerial attacks across the border. As Moscow leans further into drone warfare, how much longer can Ukraine hold out? Christopher Miller, chief Ukraine correspondent at the Financial Times, joins Ian Bremmer on the latest episode of GZERO World to discuss how drones have changed life on the front lines and in Ukraine’s cities.
The war looks very different from the one Vladimir Putin launched over three years ago, when tanks rolled across the border and soldiers advanced in heavy columns. Now, thousands of attack-style drones and smaller tactical and FPV drones swarm Ukraine’s skies, redefining how nations fight and how civilians live. Putin has reoriented Russia’s military and entire economy to become an industrial drone powerhouse, eroding Ukraine’s early advantage. Can Kyiv regain its edge? How long can Ukraine hold out and is a peace deal at all a possibility?
“There are now tens of thousands of drones in the air at any given time in eastern Ukraine and southern Ukraine being used by both the Russian and Ukrainian armies,” Miller says, “That has changed everything.”
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube.Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔). GZERO World with Ian Bremmer airs on US public television weekly - check local listings.
Ukraine's high-tech war of attrition, with Christopher Miller
The war in Ukraine has entered a dangerous new phase, with Russia sending bigger, more powerful drone attacks across the border nearly every day. Gone are the tanks, columns of troops, and heavy artillery from the early days of Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Now, tens of thousands of drones swarm Ukraine’s skies at any given moment. How much longer can Ukraine hold out? Christopher Miller, chief Ukraine correspondent at the Financial Times, joins Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World Podcast to discuss the war’s evolution from a conventional land invasion into a high-tech war of attrition dominated by drones.
Artificial intelligence, drones, all types of unmanned vehicles are being used to wage war alongside traditional tanks and artillery. Russia's not advancing like it did in the first few months. Now it's inch by inch, meter by meter. Ukraine’s troops are stuck in positions for months at a time, some nearly a year. Civilians in Ukraine’s cities are under constant threat from drone attacks, sheltering in subways and bomb shelters every night. Despite immense resilience, Ukraine’s people are getting exhausted and the country is running out of manpower. Can Ukraine regain its drone advantage? Is a diplomatic ceasefire at all a possibility?
“A lot of people in the west like to say the Ukrainians are so brave, they can do anything,” Miller says, “Many of my friends and soldiers tell me, we're not superhuman. We die, we bleed. There are fewer of us than there were three and a half years ago.”
Subscribe to the GZERO World Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published
How Russia overtook Ukraine's drone advantage
After more than three and half years of war, Russia has become a drone powerhouse. It’s sending bigger and more powerful swarms across the border into Ukraine nearly every day, eroding Kyiv’s early drone advantage. A year ago, Russia was barely sending a thousand drones into Ukraine a month, now it averages six times that. On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer breaks down how Vladimir Putin prioritized drone production to turn Russia into a drone superpower.
Russia’s full-scale invasion began with embarrassing setbacks and staggering losses. Supply lines broke down, soldiers abandoned tanks, casualties quickly mounted. Meanwhile, Ukraine innovated by using cheap quadcopters armed with grenades. But in the last year, Putin made drones a national priority. He retooled the military, prioritized production, and improved technology. The future of warfare is now being built on the battlefield in real time, and whoever adapts the fastest wins. Will Ukraine be able to regain its edge?
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔). GZERO World with Ian Bremmer airs on US public television weekly - check local listings.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a high-level meeting to mark the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations at the UN headquarters in New York City, USA, on September 22, 2025.
The only thing moving slower than Midtown traffic this week? Diplomacy.
If you live in New York City, you are well aware of what is about to descend upon our already crowded streets: the United Nations General Assembly. This is any NYC driver’s least favorite week of the year, particularly if anywhere near Midtown East.
First, some pro tips for navigating UNGA. Happen to be here for the festivities? Our apologies. Before we dive into the chaos within the event itself, let’s confront the mess outside. Do not attempt to drive. Take the subway, or simply walk. Your blood pressure will thank you later.
If you want to do some UN-style people watching, check out Remi43, a combination flower shop and coffee bar on 2nd Avenue where you’re likely to see UN staffers and national delegates imbibing some java and losing themselves in conversation.
Need to chill out for a minute? Grab a bench in Tudor City Park and watch the squad cars and black SUVs whiz by.
While you wait for a train going anywhere better than the jungle of Midtown, grab a cocktail and a cup of clam chowder at the Grand Central Oyster Bar. Tell them GZERO sent you.
OK, now to the real business of the week. World leaders gather against a backdrop of wars that refuse to end, and institutions struggling to keep up. The conflict in Ukraine is grinding through its fourth year with no clear off-ramp. Sudan’s ongoing civil war has displaced millions, and created an ever-growing humanitarian crisis. In Gaza, violence and destruction continue to cascade, fueling divisions about how far the UN can – or should – go in trying to intervene.
On that last point, today Palestinian statehood is front and center as Saudi Arabia and France gather member states in a dialogue sure to rattle some in both the US and Israel. A group of Western nations formally recognized Palestinian statehood in unison on Sunday, aiming to build momentum in this effort.
US President Donald Trump will speak on Tuesday during the General Debate, and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who recently declared calls for a two-state solution an “absurd prize for terrorism,” speaks Friday. Expect both to make headlines and raise the temperature.
This week is also a referendum on the UN itself. The UN is celebrating a milestone: 80 years since its founding. However, no one is popping champagne at this birthday party. Secretary-General António Guterres has launched the “UN80” reform initiative, a push to streamline operations, make the system less bloated, and confront the reality that the institution is teetering on a financial cliff. Chronic underfunding, late payments and reduced voluntary spending from big members, and ever-expanding mandates mean the UN is being asked to do more with less at precisely the moment global crises are multiplying.
Familiar topics, but fraught conversations. The themes running through this week’s speeches and side meetings will feel all too familiar: how to rebuild trust in multilateralism, whether the Security Council can remain relevant when the great powers that dominate it are themselves locked in confrontation, and whether emerging economies – especially in Africa, Asia, and Latin America – can get a bigger say in shaping the rules.
For all the heady rhetoric, expect plenty of realpolitik. Leaders will use the stage to posture, call out rivals, and test new alliances. Still, in a year when “cooperation” feels like a rare commodity, even modest commitments – on aid, climate, or humanitarian relief – will be hailed as progress.
So, lace up your sneakers, pack all your patience, and prepare for a week where New York traffic might be unbearable, but the geopolitics promise to be a show in themselves.
GZERO will be on the ground (walking, of course) to bring you all the biggest developments of the week.
If you want to learn more about this year’s UNGA, In the latest episode of GZERO World, Ian Bremmer sat down with the secretary-general in the latest episode of GZERO World to discuss the state of the UN, a new report which declared Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide, and the future of multilateralism is an increasingly fractured and fragmented geopolitical landscape. Watch the full conversation here.
And for more on the details of UN80, and what it means for the daily operations of the octogenarian organization, here’s GZERO’s interview with Under-Secretary-General Guy Ryder, the man tasked with leading the ambitious reform initiative.
Protesters led by children march in London, United Kingdom, on June 1, 2025, demanding the release of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia and an end to Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Hard Numbers: Russia reportedly indoctrinating kidnapped Ukrainian children, Fed to discuss rate cuts amid political firestorm, Argentina’s Milei presents budget, & More
210: The Kremlin is holding Ukrainian children at 210 different sites across Russia, according to a Yale University report, and forcing them to have re-education sessions and military training. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has regularly cited the abductions as evidence that Moscow is committing genocide in Ukraine. Kyiv estimates that 20,000 children have been taken since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
€1 billion: Poland increased its cybersecurity budget from €600 million ($708m) to €1 billion ($1.18b) after Russian hackers targeted its hospitals and Warsaw’s water supply. The Polish foreign minister said the country faces 20-50 cyber threats to critical infrastructure each day, most of which it thwarts.
3: The US military hit a Venezuela drug boat on Monday, killing three people. The attack marks the second time this month that the US has hit a boat suspected of drug smuggling off the coast of Venezuela.
7: A political storm is clouding the US Federal Reserve as its seven governors meet over the next couple of days to decide whether to cut interest rates – the target range is currently 4.25%-4.5%. Among the seven decision-makers are Lisa Cook, whom President Donald Trump has tried to fire but remains in situ after a court win yesterday, and Stephen Miran, a Trump ally whom the Senate confirmed only yesterday.
1.5%: Argentine President Javier Milei presented his 2026 budget proposal Tuesday to the National Congress, with the aim of having a fiscal surplus of 1.5% next year. The budgets for each of the last two years have been rejected, so the government has instead extended and continued to use the one implemented in 2023. With the midterm election only six weeks away, the budget could have political ramifications for Milei.