Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia called on the European Union on Wednesday, 26 June to build a 700-kilometer defense line along their border with Russia and Belarus to protect the EU from military threats and other harmful actions from Moscow – Reuters
The countries said… pic.twitter.com/g0mRCTcdiU
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 27, 2024
Western leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, have warned that with eastern Europe already destabilized by his invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin might attack other countries—a suggestion that the Russian president has dismissed.
The Reuters map suggests that forces entering southern Lithuania could meet up with Russian troops coming from the other side, via the enclave of Kaliningrad, whose location would make it a front line in any conflict between Moscow and NATO.
The letter also described how the scale and cost of such a wall would need “dedicated EU action to support it both politically and financially,” said Reuters, which noted how EU diplomats estimate the cost of such a construction as 2.5 billion euros ($2.67 billion).
It follows a request by Greece and Poland to the EU to set up Europe-wide air defense system akin to Israel’s Iron Dome. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said last month that he had sent a letter to the European Commission about the proposal, which had received a “very positive reaction.”
The proposal appeared to get the backing of the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who posted on X, “we need less fragmentation and common projects. Like an air defense shield.”
Newsweek has contacted the Russian foreign ministry and the European Union for comment.
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Source link : https://www.newsweek.com/poland-lithuania-latvia-russia-fence-1918146
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Publish date : 2024-06-27 12:03:44
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