European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday the bloc was working to help the Gulf nations intercept Iranian drone strikes but warned that the supplies of relevant kit was likely limited.
“Everybody has the need for air defence… So there is really a problem with production," Kallas said during a video call between EU and Gulf State foreign ministers.
While urging Europe to “speed up" production, she said, “…we are looking into this, but I’m worried that the capabilities are limited."
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AFP quoted Kallas suggesting that Ukraine, which has built vaunted expertise in the sector in more than four years of war with Russia, could help by sharing its knowledge.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had offered to swap with the US allies in the Middle East some air defence missiles in exchange for drone interceptors.
According to AFP, Russia has been using Iranian-designed Shahed drones throughout its invasion of Ukraine, and Kyiv has developed a range of cheap and effective interceptors – aerial craft designed to hit incoming attack drones mid-air – that it says are world-leading.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has been struggling with a shortage of PAC-3 air defence missiles, expensive ammunition used to fire at incoming Russian missiles to defend Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure.
Reutersquoted Rome’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto telling the parliament that Italy, Spain, France and the Netherlands will send naval assets to protect Cyprus in the coming days.
On Thursday, Italy had announced its decision to send air defence assistance to Gulf countries that are being targeted by Iranian strikes in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes.
Source: World News in news18.com, World Latest News, World News
