European ministers to discuss air defense in Paris
That's according to Politico, Ukrinform reports.
The meeting, which will take place at the Paris Air Show, was organized by French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu.
According to the French Ministry of Defense, the purpose of the meeting is to conduct a "strategic collective reflection" on "threats that come from the skies."
After the discussions, which will also be attended by experts, French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to deliver a speech at the Les Invalides.
"Russia’s war on Ukraine was an electric shock for many European countries, which discovered vulnerabilities in their own systems and are now scrambling to invest in air defense," the report said.
A number of EU countries, led by Germany, which did not want to wait for the development of their own system in the EU, decided to purchase off-the-shelf products from the United States, Israel, and, to a lesser extent, Germany.
Politico notes that 16 countries, including Belgium, Poland, Estonia, and Romania, have joined the German initiative called the European Sky Shield Initiative.
It is noted that Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Finland will not send their ministers to today's meeting. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will be replaced by his Secretary of State for Arms Benedikt Zimmer.
As reported, the defense ministers of the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Netherlands announced on June 15 that they would provide Ukraine with air defense equipment amid Russian missile attacks.
Photo: dpa
