Two Eurofighter F-2000 fighters of the Italian Air Force took off in the late afternoon from the Šiauliai base, in Lithuania, after the violation of NATO airspace by two Russian military jets.
The aircraft of the Air Task Force “Baltic Thunder III” took off in “scramble” mode, the emergency procedure which orders the immediate take-off of fighters to identify and intercept a suspicious or unauthorized aircraft. According to informed sources, the two Russian jets were reached by the Italian Eurofighters and escorted back out of Alliance airspace.
The operation was coordinated by NATO’s Combined Air Operations Center in Uedem, Germany, one of the structures that monitor European airspace and direct rapid reaction missions. At the moment, no further details have been provided on the model of the Russian aircraft, their route or the duration of the interception.
The new EU funds for Kiev
At the same time, the European Union announced new military support for Ukraine. After a telephone conversation with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ursula von der Leyen announced that Brussels will provide another 3.3 billion euros for the purchase of missiles and drones.
“Russia continues to relentlessly attack Kiev, trying to make the daily life of its inhabitants impossible. We are at their side and at the side of all Ukrainians”, declared the President of the European Commission. Von der Leyen also recalled the funding already approved for the Patriot anti-aircraft defense systems, adding however that “it is clear that more is needed”.
Brussels also aims to use the resources still available from the Safe program to launch new joint initiatives between the European Union and Ukraine in the defense sector. Among the projects indicated is the development of a European air and missile defense system based on the Freya joint anti-ballistic system. The goal is to combine the experience gained by Ukrainians on the battlefield with the technological and industrial capabilities of European countries.
Von der Leyen recalled that during the year the EU has already mobilized almost 15 billion euros for Kiev. Further funding will also depend on the approval by the Ukrainian Parliament of the reforms necessary to continue the process of joining the Union.
The President of the Commission will also bring the topic to the United Nations General Assembly in New York: “Europe is doing more. Now the others must also increase their support” she underlined.