To protect against Russian air strikes, NATO may close skies over part of Ukraine
Some NATO countries are ready to expand support for Kyiv and act directly on the territory of Ukraine – the possibility of closing the sky with air defense systems in western Ukraine is being discussed, BILD writes, citing sources, Espresso.Zakhid reports. According to the publication, Estonia, the United Kingdom, Poland, Canada, Lithuania, and France are in favor of expanding aid. At the same time, the United States and Germany are against it. There are no final decisions on closing the skies over the western regions of Ukraine, but negotiations are underway on several aspects. In particular:
Training
They discuss the training of Ukrainian soldiers by NATO instructors on the territory of Ukraine.
“The question of whether hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians should fly around Europe for training or whether it is better to send a few instructors to western Ukraine should not be discounted. It is more sensible and economical to send instructors to Ukraine,” Nico Lange, former head of the German Defense Ministry’s operational headquarters, told BILD.
This was also recently discussed by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
Logistics
According to BILD, a number of NATO countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Estonia, are ready to deliver weapons and ammunition not only to Ukraine’s borders but also further to the front line in the future. The concept of “advanced logistics” is currently being developed in several Western countries.
Air defense
In addition, the protection of the airspace of the western regions of Ukraine by NATO anti-aircraft systems is being discussed. Poland is the initiator of the “extended air defense”, but there is no final decision yet.
Closing the skies over Ukraine: what is known
Earlier, Air Force Command spokesman Ilya Yevlash said that Poland has Patriot systems, so it could technically close the skies over the western regions of Ukraine.
Also, a member of the Bundestag from the Christian Democratic Union, Roderich Kiesewetter, said that partner countries should provide air defense over the western regions of Ukraine.
