French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called on European nations to seek more independence on airspace defense and advocated against relying too much on the US.
He made his case for Europeans building their own airspace protection strategy in the closing speech of a conference in Paris gathering defense ministers and other representatives of 20 European countries.
The talks included anti-drone combat and ballistic missile defense, French organizers said, noting that Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shown the importance and effectiveness of such equipment. Nuclear weapons deterrence was also on the agenda, reports AP.
“We need to know what the threat situation is … And then, what are we, Europeans, able to produce? And what do we then need to buy?” Macron said.
French President also warned against purchasing immediately “what’s on the shelves.”
Among nations who took part in the meeting were Germany, the UK and Sweden as well as Ukraine’s neighbors Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. Representatives of NATO and the European Union also attended.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
