The new system, in which Spain does not participate for the time being, would be in line with that of NATO and would improve the defense of the allied countries
The Atlantic Alliance plans to protect itself from the possibility of a Russian attack. Fifteen countries — fourteen members of NATO and Finland — signed a letter this Thursday, at the meeting of defense ministers of the military organization in Brussels, pledging to create a European anti-missile shield. The German government is leading the European Sky Shield project, which should coordinate the participants’ anti-aircraft systems in the event of a possible Russian missile attack. Spain is not part of this initiative for the time being, as Berlin has not “formally” proposed it, according to Minister Margarita Robles. If it occurs, “Madrid will study it,” he added.
NATO already has an anti-missile system activated by radars in Turkey. But Germany’s proposal has the support of Belgium, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic and Romania. The aim is nothing more than to strengthen the security of the continent and close the gaps in the current anti-aircraft defense system.
This new shield could be integrated into the current one and could detect and intercept missiles faster. As explained by NATO Deputy Secretary Mircea Geoana, “the new assets (…) would significantly improve our defense capability against all air and missile threats.”
For his part, the Secretary-General of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, has called for the reinforcement of arms shipments to Kiev. “I urge the Allies to continue to increase aid,” he insisted, celebrating Spain’s commitment to send four Hawk missile launchers to Ukraine. This equipment will be added to the artillery, air defense equipment and armored vehicles sent by the allied countries in recent weeks. More specifically, the equipment provided by Spain will make it possible to “strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses,” he stressed.
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, has taken a strong stand against the Kremlin and its nuclear threats. “Putin cannot allow such bluffs. Any nuclear attack on Ukraine will have a military response. Not nuclear, but powerful enough to destroy the Russian army,” he assured in his opening speech at the European Diplomatic Academy in Bruges.
Borrell has defended that the European Union is “a garden”, “the best combination of political freedom, prosperity and social cohesion that people have managed to create”. The war in Ukraine, however, threatens to put an end to that established order, but has also helped the community bloc “be assertive and adopt its own European stance on foreign and defense policy”.
It is time for the international community to show “unity, strength and full determination” in the face of Russian aggression, he said. For Borrell, diplomatic dialogue with Moscow is currently “unattainable”, “but we must be prepared for the peace negotiations that are coming. The world needs this war to end it.” When the conflict ends, a new international order will have to be built “and see how we integrate post-Putin Russia into it,” something that, he stressed, will create a period of instability and require a lot of work.
Source: La Verdad
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