Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Ukraine proposes creating a joint air defence shield with allies to counter Russian threats, following recent airspace incursions alarming NATO’s eastern flank.
NATO leaders have said that Russia has been testing the alliance’s readiness and resolve with airspace incursions in Poland and the Baltic states, and Kyiv says its experience in dealing with aerial threats would be valuable.
“Ukraine proposes to Poland and all our partners to build a joint, fully reliable shield against Russian aerial threats,” he said in an address to the Warsaw Security Forum delivered via video link.
“This is possible. Ukraine can counter all kinds of Russian drones and missiles, and if we act together in the region, we will have enough weapons and production capacity.”
Ukraine has already said that its troops and engineers will train their Polish counterparts on countering drones.
The topic of defence cooperation with Kyiv was high on the agenda as leaders gathered in Warsaw for the annual security forum.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told the conference that “Europe’s and Ukraine’s defence industry must work together more closely and effectively”.
“The European Union must back this by providing a much more flexible regulatory framework for the defence industry in Europe.”
Following the Russian incursions into NATO airspace, countries on the alliance’s eastern flank have agreed on the need for a “drone wall” with advanced detection, tracking and interception capabilities.
However, Pistorius warned that establishing this would not be a quick process.
“We’re not talking about a concept that will be realised within the next three or four years,” he said. “We need to prioritise and recognise that we require more capabilities and capacities than previously described.”
Russian Aerial Strike
Russia early on Sunday unleashed hundreds of drones and missiles on Kyiv and other regions, killing at least four and injuring dozens in one of the capital’s most sustained assaults since the war began.
Neighbouring Poland closed its airspace near two southeastern cities and its air force scrambled jets in response until the danger had passed.
Ukraine’s military said that Russia launched 595 drones and 48 missiles overnight, and its air defences shot down 568 drones and 43 missiles. It noted that the main target of the strike was the capital Kyiv.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack, which lasted more than 12 hours, killed four people, including a child, with two of the deaths occurring at a Kyiv cardiology clinic.
He said 80 people were injured in the strikes and factories, residential buildings and energy-generating sites were damaged.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday it had carried out a “massive” attack on Ukraine using long-range air- and sea-based weapons and drones to target military infrastructure, including airfields.
(With inputs from Reuters)
