The model for NATO defending Ukrainian airspace from Russian attacks already exists, says German politician

Rebecca Rommen
·3 min read
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The model for NATO defending Ukrainian airspace from Russian attacks already exists, says German politician

  • Germany is showing cross-party support for defending Ukraine's border regions from NATO territories.

  • NATO is currently focused on providing additional defense aid to Kyiv.

  • A German politician said the Western defense of Israel from Iran is a blueprint for protecting Ukraine.

The Western response to Iran's barrage of attacks against Israel represents a potential model for defending Ukraine's border regions from NATO territories, a German politician has said.

Calls have been growing for NATO countries to use air defenses based in eastern Europe to take down Russian missiles and drones targeting Ukraine.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO's Secretary-General between 2009 and 2014, told the UK's i Paper that interceptor missiles from neighboring NATO countries like Poland and Romania could shoot down Russian airstrikes aimed at Ukraine.

Voices within both ruling and opposition parties in Germany have expressed support for defending Ukraine's border regions from NATO territories such as Poland and Romania, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported.

Roderich Kiesewetter, a Christian Democratic Union politician and former Bundeswehr general staff officer, compared defending Ukraine to Western efforts to prevent Israel from being hit by 300 missiles and drones fired at Israel in April.

Nearly all the munitions were intercepted by Israeli and partner forces in the region, including the US military.

Kiesewetter told Business Insider in a statement: "Western countries could protect part of Ukraine's airspace from NATO territory and shoot down Russian unmanned missiles. This would relieve the burden on Ukrainian air defenses and allow them to protect the front.

As in the case of Israel, where France, the UK, and others helped, which meant they did not become a warring party."

Echoing Kiesewetter, Rasmussen told the i Paper said NATO could do "exactly the same" and help Ukraine shoot down incoming Russian drones and missiles.

Ukraine believes US-made Patriot missiles are key

German soldiers prepare a Patriot missile launching system on snowy ground and against a grey sky
Members of the German Bundeswehr prepare a Patriot missile launching system in December 2012.Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Germany has emerged as a key player in the debate over NATO defending Ukraine's airspace. In April, it bolstered Ukraine's air defense capabilities and agreed to equip it with a Patriot air defense system.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Germany has sent Patriot systems with missiles, 2 SKYNEX systems with ammunition, IRIS-T SLM missiles, and Stingers.

Germany's multipartisan calls for defending Ukraine's airspace point to a future of collaborative air defense.

Marcus Faber of the the Free Democratic Party says that after the end of the war, an "international protection force" could be organized by the EU or NATO, per FAZ.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for more Patriots to defend Ukraine's airspace.

More than 100 Patriot air-defense systems could be spared by Ukraine's allies, Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, told The Washington Post in April.

Read the original article on Business Insider