EU leaders endorse a plan to ensure that Europe can defend itself from outside attack by 2030

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders on Thursday endorsed a plan to ensure that Europe can defend itself against an outside attack by the end of the decade as concern mounts that Russia is already probing the 27-nation bloc’s defenses.

“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its repercussions for European and global security in a changing environment constitute an existential challenge,” the leaders said in a statement during a summit in Brussels.

They called on national governments “to advance on concrete projects to be launched in the first half of 2026” in line with the new plan, dubbed Readiness 2030, which was drawn up by the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch.

A top priority will be to erect drone defenses to detect, track and disable rogue drones, following