Hope and fear as tourists trickle back to Kashmir town after attack    Spain and Portugal scramble to restore power as officials chase cause of outage    Israel spy chief to step down after row with Netanyahu exposes deepening rifts    Saudi, Omani foreign ministers visit Rub' Al-Khali border crossing    From his own resources... Luminous lessons in leadership and humanity    Commerce Ministry recalls 6,500 Genesis cars due to risk of fire    Royal Institute of Traditional Arts implements Saudi-Chinese cultural exchange program    Localization in Saudi military industries rises to 19.35%    Logistics park for vehicles worth SR300 million to be set up at Dammam port    HONOR KSA expands its presence with new flagship Experience Store in Riyadh HONOR's first flagship store in KSA provides visitors with a premium experience, exciting offers and free services    Prince Sultan University launches first bachelor's program in language and media    Putin announces three-day Russian ceasefire in Ukraine from 8 May    Al-Falih: Eastern Province hosts 700 investment opportunities worth SR330 billion    Rock & Roll Hall of Fame picks Outkast but not Oasis    Duran leads Al Nassr past Yokohama Marinos into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Al Ahli cruise past Buriram into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi orchestra to perform at Sydney Opera House in May    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Von der Leyen endorses Polish and Greek push for European 'air defense shield'
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 24 - 05 - 2024

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has indicated she will support the Polish and Greek prime ministers' call for a "European air defense shield" if she secures a second term at the helm of the EU executive.
Speaking during the European Broadcasting Union's election debate on Thursday, von der Leyen endorsed "an air defense shield for all of Europe, like it was proposed by Mitsotakis and Tusk."
It comes after Poland's Donald Tusk and Greece's Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed a letter to von der Leyen calling for an EU-wide air shield that would provide the bloc's airspace with protection from "incoming threats including aircraft, missiles, drones and others."
The leaders warn that the European Union needs a "bold initiative" to show its "friends and foes" that it is "taking its air defense seriously."
"Europe will be safe as long as the skies over it are safe," the prime ministers' letter reads.
"We must develop a highly capable air defense system which will act as a credible deterrent against all possible aggressors. Which will act as a shield for our citizens and military forces, in case deterrence fails - thereby protecting all member states of the EU and all European citizens."
Both Tusk and Mitsotakis belong to the same European political family as von der Leyen, the centre-right European People's Party (EPP). The EPP is comfortably ahead in the polls ahead of June's European elections, giving von der Leyen a firm chance of continuing as Commission president for the coming five years.
She has made ramping up Europe's defense capabilities a core tenet of her electoral platform, creating synergies between member states' defense industries, which are now structured along national lines and have proven insufficient to provide Ukraine with the arms and ammunition it needs to withstand Russia's full-scale invasion.
The need to bolster the EU's own air defense was put into sharp focus during a summit of EU leaders in April, when Kyiv directly appealed on the bloc's member states to donate some of their own systems to help it fend off the missiles launched from Russia.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte urged member states to look closely at their stockpiles and consider sending their own air defense systems to Kyiv.
Germany had donated one Patriot air defense system, one of the most sophisticated systems of its kind, to Ukraine earlier in April, after Chancellor Scholz buckled under allies' pressure.
Spain, Greece, and to a lesser extent the Netherlands, Sweden and Romania - the EU countries that have their own Patriots - have since come under pressure to contribute their systems to Ukraine. But capitals are hesitant for fear of debilitating their own defense.
Kyiv has an insufficient number of Patriots, relying instead on other defense systems including Soviet-era surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) such as S-300s.
Poland itself has two Patriot systems, but they are considered necessary given the country's proximity to Russia and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
In late April, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said allies had "mapped out existing capabilities across the alliance," adding that there were systems that could be made available to Ukraine.
But since then, capitals have not been forthcoming, for fear of leaving the EU itself vulnerable.
Tusk and Mitsotakis address this "vulnerability" in their letter, adding that bolstering the EU's capacity to defend its skies would act as a "catalyst" for the "further upgrading of the European defense and security industries." — Euronews


Clic here to read the story from its source.