Poland and the Baltic states call on the EU to build a defense line on the border with Russia and Belarus
Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have appealed to the European Union to create a defense line along the border with Russia and Belarus.
This is reported Reuters.
“The creation of a system of defense infrastructure along the external border of the EU with Russia and Belarus will make it possible to solve the acute and urgent need to protect the EU from military and hybrid threats“, the letter says.
In a letter to the head of the EU, which will be considered at the summit in Brussels, the leaders of the four countries emphasized the need to protect against military and hybrid threats from Moscow. They emphasized that “creating a system of defense infrastructure along the EU’s external border with Russia and Belarus will meet the acute and urgent need to secure the EU.”
Hybrid threats refer to a variety of military and non-military, covert and overt means, including disinformation, cyber attacks, economic pressure and the use of migrants.
The leaders of the countries called for “targeted action by the EU” for political and financial support for this project. They also emphasized the importance of coordination with NATO during the planning and construction of the defense line.
According to preliminary estimates, the cost of building such a line along the 700-kilometer border could reach 2.5 billion euros. EU defense funding and investment will be one of the key topics of discussion at the EU leaders’ summit, given Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine and Moscow’s increased hybrid operations against the West.
