Zelenskiy: We must create an effective air shield over Europe

(Patria) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that the incursion of Russian drones into Poland means Europe must work on creating a joint air defense and an effective air shield, Reuters reported.

„We must work on a joint air defense system and create an effective air shield over Europe,“ Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram after a phone call with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and other European leaders.

„Ukraine proposed this long ago. There are concrete decisions on this. We must respond together to all current challenges and be prepared for potential threats to all Europeans in the future,“ the Ukrainian president added.
Speaking later in his evening video address, Zelenskiy said that Ukraine had presented proposals for joint protection of European airspace „in a coordinated, well-thought-out, joint manner.“

„No one can guarantee that there will not be hundreds of them, if there are already dozens of drones. Only joint European forces can provide protection,“ he said.
Zelenskiy suggested that joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises scheduled to begin in Belarus could serve as a „training plan“ for future Russian actions.

Strong action is key, he said, to counter what Russia is doing.

„There are more than enough statements, but so far action is lacking,“ he said.
„The Russians are testing the limits of what is possible. They are testing reactions. They are monitoring how the armed forces of NATO countries operate, what they can and cannot yet do.“
Zelenskiy said that Ukraine and all of Europe „largely count on a strong response from the United States.“