Several German MPs from both the ruling and opposition parties have backed the idea of allies defending Ukraine’s western airspace from NATO territory, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported.
FAZ wrote that some experts, such as Nico Lange of the Munich Security Conference and Lieutenant General Heinrich Brauss, a former NATO deputy secretary general, have suggested shooting down Russian missiles over Ukraine’s border regions from Poland and Romania. Polish officials have also mentioned this possibility, but no concrete decisions have been put forward.
“Defending the airspace over Ukraine from Poland and Romania should not be ruled out in the long term,” said Anton Hofreiter of the ruling Greens party. The outspoken MEP added, however, that the issue is “not on the table” at present, as the allies are focusing on providing additional defense aid to Kyiv.
Agnieszka Brugger, Hofreiter’s Green Party colleague, also said it would be right “to deploy air defense systems on the borders of neighboring countries so that the western parts of Ukraine can also be protected.”
Roderich Kiesewetter, of the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU), commented that Western countries could shoot down Russian unmanned aircraft launched towards Ukraine.
“This would ease the burden on Ukrainian air defenses and allow them to protect the front,” Kiesewetter said, comparing this to when the U.S. and other Western countries protected Israel’s airspace without becoming party to the conflict.
Marcus Faber of the governing coalition Free Democratic Party (FDP) also agreed that, in principle, “airspace over Ukrainian border regions” could be “protected by air defenses from NATO territory.” However, Faber noted that air and missile defenses are already deficient and long-term ammunition supplies must be ensured.
“Under these conditions, I think it is possible,” Faber added.
