Poland and the Baltic states have called on the European Union to build a 700-kilometer (430-mile) wall along their borders with Russia and Belarus, with a map showing the area such a construction would cover.
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have joined forces with Warsaw in calling for the bloc to build a defense line to protect the NATO members against the threat of Russia, over security concerns fueled by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The wall along the EU external border with Russia and Belarus “will address the dire and urgent need to secure the EU from military and hybrid threats,” a letter to the bloc by the countries said, according to Reuters.
This illustrative image from October 28, 2022 shows the Lithuanian border fence and a Russian border marker and fence along the frontier to the Russian semi-exclave of Kaliningrad. Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Latvia have appealed…
This illustrative image from October 28, 2022 shows the Lithuanian border fence and a Russian border marker and fence along the frontier to the Russian semi-exclave of Kaliningrad. Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Latvia have appealed to the EU to build a fence along the frontier with Russia.
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NATO members in the region have accused Russia of conducting hybrid attacks, which includes covert operations such as disinformation and cyberattacks.
Finland, which joined the alliance last year, has said that Moscow has pushed migrants towards its borders, leading Helsinki to close some of its frontier posts with its bigger neighbor. Russia has been accused of being behind GPS jamming in the Baltic region, which has led European leaders to warn of the dangers pose to air traffic control.
Reuters posted a map showing in red possible axes for a Russian invasion along the Estonian border, north of Lake Peipus which the countries share.
The graphic also shows a red line moving up into Lithuania from Minsk, the capital of Belarus, whose leader Alexander Lukashenko is Vladimir Putin’s closest ally.
Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia called on the European Union on Wednesday, 26 June to build a 700-kilometer defense line along their border with Russia and Belarus to protect the EU from military threats and other harmful actions from Moscow – Reuters
The countries said… pic.twitter.com/g0mRCTcdiU
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 27, 2024
Western leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, have warned that with eastern Europe already destabilized by his invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin might attack other countries—a suggestion that the Russian president has dismissed.
The Reuters map suggests that forces entering southern Lithuania could meet up with Russian troops coming from the other side, via the enclave of Kaliningrad, whose location would make it a front line in any conflict between Moscow and NATO.
The letter also described how the scale and cost of such a wall would need “dedicated EU action to support it both politically and financially,” said Reuters, which noted how EU diplomats estimate the cost of such a construction as 2.5 billion euros ($2.67 billion).
It follows a request by Greece and Poland to the EU to set up Europe-wide air defense system akin to Israel’s Iron Dome. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said last month that he had sent a letter to the European Commission about the proposal, which had received a “very positive reaction.”
The proposal appeared to get the backing of the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who posted on X, “we need less fragmentation and common projects. Like an air defense shield.”
Newsweek has contacted the Russian foreign ministry and the European Union for comment.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Publish date : 2024-06-27 08:03:44
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