SHIELD – The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk addressed a letter to the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, requesting the creation of an EU-funded common European air defense shield, given that all countries are experiencing financial difficulties. In their letter, the two officials want the shield to be similar to the Israeli anti-missile and anti-aircraft system Iron Dome, with a view to protecting Europe against enemy aircraft, missiles and drones. At the same time, the approval of such a project at the level would send a clear message about the EU’s determination to defend itself, the document states. On the other hand, the six NATO countries neighboring Russia have agreed to build a “drone wall” to defend their borders against “acts of provocation” the Lithuanian government announced. We’re not talking just about physical infrastructure, surveillance systems, but also about drones and other technologies, which would allow us to protect ourselves against the challenges of hostile countries and prevent smuggling, the Minister of the Interior of Lithuania, Agnė Bilotaitė, said following talks with her counterparts from the other two Baltic countries – Latvia and Estonia – and from Finland, Norway and Poland.
