Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite announced the plan on May 24 after talks with her counterparts from the two Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia, as well as Poland, Finland and Norway, according to AFP.
The plan to use drones to protect the border was agreed due to security concerns in the region amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but Bilotaite did not say when the plan would be implemented.
NATO countries bordering Russia plan to build a "drone wall"
"This is something completely new, a drone wall stretching from Norway to Poland and the goal is to use drones and other technologies to protect our borders," Bilotaite was quoted as saying by the BNS news agency.
“Not only infrastructure, on-the-ground surveillance systems, but also drones and other technologies that will help protect us from provocations from unfriendly countries, as well as prevent smuggling,” she said.
In addition to deploying UAVs for border surveillance, the aforementioned countries will also use anti-UAV systems to prevent similar equipment from their opponents.
Tensions between Russia and NATO have increased sharply since Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow has long opposed NATO expansion, but the war in Ukraine has prompted Sweden and Finland, two traditionally neutral countries, to quickly seek to join the US-led military alliance.
Ukraine also wants to join NATO, but this is almost certainly not going to happen in the near future.
The US State Department announced on May 24 that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to the Czech Republic and Moldova next week. He is scheduled to attend an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Prague. US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien said the meeting will prepare for decisions to be made at the NATO summit in July in Washington DC.
"We don't expect there will be an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO (at the summit), but we do expect there will be significant support for Ukraine as it tries to win its war," O'Brien told reporters at a press conference on May 24, according to Reuters.
On the same day, the US announced a $275 million military aid package for Ukraine, including ammunition, missiles, mines and artillery shells. This is the latest aid package that US President Joe Biden has ordered to be delivered to Kyiv since the US Congress approved a $61 billion aid plan.
"This $275 million aid package is part of our effort to help Ukraine repel the Russian offensive near Kharkiv, containing urgently needed capabilities," AFP quoted Secretary of State Blinken as saying.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cac-nuoc-nato-giap-nga-dinh-xay-tuong-uav-18524052509090255.htm
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