EU’s Kallas warns anti-drone supplies limited as Mideast, Ukraine wars rage

2026-03-05 - 13:14

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said there is a serious shortage in drone interceptor production. (EPA Images pic) BRUSSELS: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said today that the bloc was looking to help Gulf nations fend off Iranian drone strikes, but warned supplies of relevant kit might be limited. Speaking before a video call between EU and Gulf State foreign ministers, Kallas warned production of drone interceptors would struggle to keep up with high demand both in Ukraine and now the Middle East. “Everybody has the need for air defence... So there is really a problem with production,” she told journalists in Brussels, adding Europe needed to “speed up” production. “So, of course we are looking into this, but I’m worried that the capabilities are limited,” she added. “Ukraine, which has built vaunted expertise in the sector in more than four years of war with Russia, could help by sharing its knowledge,” Kallas said. Earlier this week, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky offered US allies in the Middle East a swap of some of their air defence missiles in exchange for drone interceptors. Russia has been using Iranian-designed Shahed drones throughout its invasion of Ukraine, and Kyiv has developed a range of cheap and effective interceptors – aerial craft designed to hit incoming attack drones mid-air – that it says are world-leading. At the same time, Ukraine is struggling with a shortage of PAC-3 air defence missiles – expensive ammunition fired at incoming Russian missiles to defend Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure. Meanwhile, EU-member Italy said today it would send air defence assistance to Gulf countries targeted by Iranian strikes in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks.