Paris, Coalition of the Willing Summit: Initiative for a Common European Shield Against Ballistic Missiles

During the Summit of the Coalition of the Willing being held in Paris, where Albania is represented by Prime Minister Edi Rama, a decision was made to establish a joint European anti-ballistic program.

This initiative aims to create a defense mechanism for Europe against ballistic missiles, drawing on the experience gained by Kyiv in the conflict with Russia, which has now surpassed four years.

French President Emmanuel Macron invited European leaders, including Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who met in the French capital. Macron welcomed Rama with a warm embrace, as he did the other heads of state. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also arrived at the meeting on Monday, urging accelerated cooperation with European countries to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense ahead of the winter season. During this period, Russia intensifies attacks aimed at depriving Ukrainians of electricity, heating, and water.

Meanwhile, it was announced that the United Kingdom has signed on to participate in the 90-billion-euro support loan that the European Union has allocated for Ukraine. This step marks the first deepened cooperation between the EU and Britain since the latter left the bloc in 2020, following the Brexit referendum.

In a joint statement during the summit, European leaders emphasized: “Our goal is to build a common defensive capability against ballistic missiles for Europe.”

The anti-ballistic program will include, according to the statement of the participating countries, an integrated missile defense architecture, which will serve to deter and neutralize future missile threats.