Ukraine war briefing: Estonia warns of Putin distraction tactics as EU leaders meet to discuss ‘drone wall’

<p>Estonian leader Kristen Michal says Putin wants Europe ‘talking about ourselves, not Ukraine’ ahead of meeting in Copenhagen. What we know on day 1,316</p><p><strong>Estonia’s prime minister, Kristen Michal, has warned that Russia’s recent air incursions were an attempt to distract Europe from helping Ukraine, ahead of a summit with EU leaders</strong>. “Putin wants to have us talking about ourselves, not about Ukraine, not about helping Ukraine, not to push back Russia in Ukraine,” Michal told AFP in an interview in Copenhagen.</p><p><strong>EU leaders will discuss boosting their defences and support for Kyiv at talks in Denmark being held on Wednesday and Thursday under heightened security</strong> after mysterious drone flights rattled the country. Those incidents came after a series of high-profile airspace violations by Moscow in Russia’s neighbour Estonia and in Poland had already frayed nerves in Europe.</p><p><strong>Michal said he hoped the gathering in Copenhagen would send a strong message of “unity and resolve to back up Ukraine and never to let us be distracted on the main topic, which is the problem with Russia.</strong>” He said that Putin’s aggression has been a “miscalculation” as it has pushed Europe to get serious about arming itself in the face of the looming threat. “Europe is much stronger than it was six months or one year ago,” Michal said. “Europe was a project of peace but without arms. Now, Europe will be a project of peace but with arms.”</p><p><strong>One of the key priorities being pushed at the summit is a so-called <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/26/eu-drone-wall-russian-incursions-air-defences-ukraine">“drone wall”</a> of defences to protect the European continent by detecting and shooting down Russian drones</strong>. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen floated the idea las