Clearing the skies: European security architecture in the age of unmanned warfare

Past event In person

Peace, Security & Defence

01Jul2026

starts 08:30

ends 10:00

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As unmanned systems reshape the conduct of war, they are also reshaping the strategic questions facing Europe. No longer a niche capability, drones and counter-drone systems now sit at the intersection of deterrence, industrial readiness, critical infrastructure protection and societal resilience. Ukraine is a clear example of where these changes are being observed as well as testing Europe’s future model of warfare in real time. For Europe, the challenge is how to scale unmanned capabilities, while embedding them in a broader security architecture that is faster, more integrated and better aligned with Ukraine’s operational experience.

The real question is no longer simply whether unmanned systems matter for European defence, but what the changing character of war, and Ukraine’s experience at its forefront, reveals about the kind of security architecture Europe now needs.

This invitation-only roundtable will offer a private, policy-focused discussion under Chatham House rules, designed to encourage frank exchange rather than set-piece interventions. Bringing together senior diplomatic, policy and cross-sector perspectives, it will create a multidisciplinary discussion space distinct from the standard Brussels format.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Shutterstock| Es sarawuth

Schedule

Speakers

Prior to assuming the position of Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the EU, Nerijus Aleksiejūnas served as the Ambassador of Lithuania to France and Chief Foreign Policy Advisor to former President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė. He held several roles at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Deputy Director for EU Affairs and Head of the EU Enlargement Unit. He also served as Antici at the Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the EU during the Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council in 2013 and as a Seconded National Expert at the European Commission’s General Secretariat.

Dharmendra Kanani is Director of Policy & Programmes and Chief Spokesperson at Friends of Europe. Prior to joining Friends of Europe, Dharmendra was director of policy at the European Foundation Centre (EFC). He was the England director at the Big Lottery Fund, the largest independent funder in the UK and fourth largest in the world. Dharmendra has held senior positions in the public and voluntary sectors and advisor to numerous ministerial policy initiatives across the UK.

Krisztián Mészáros has served as State Secretary for Multilateral Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary since June 2026. He brings more than two decades of experience in diplomacy, international security, and multilateral affairs, having held a number of senior positions within both the Hungarian foreign service and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Prior to his appointment as State Secretary, Mészáros served as Director for Partnerships and Global Affairs in NATO’s Political Affairs and Security Policy Division from 2024 to 2026. Between 2018 and 2023, he was Deputy Director of the Private Office of the NATO Secretary General, where he supported the Secretary General’s engagement on key political and security issues. Earlier, from 2015 to 2017, he served as NATO Civilian Liaison Officer to the United Nations in New York, strengthening cooperation between NATO and the UN.

Prior to assuming her current position, Kyllike Sillaste-Elling has held several positions at the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including as director-general of the department for NATO and transatlantic relations, permanent representative of Estonia to NATO and director-general of the minister’s office. She has also worked as the undersecretary for political affairs and as deputy head of the Estonian embassy in the United States, as well as a foreign policy advisor to the Estonian prime minister and the first secretary at the Estonian embassy in the United Kingdom.