Poland and Greece Call on European Commission to Create 'Iron Dome' Over Europe

Prime Ministers of Poland and Greece Donald Tusk and Kyriakos Mitsotakis in a joint letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for the creation of a European "Iron Dome" - a joint initiative for European air defence. The Polish prime minister said this in an interview with TVN.

"Gradually, even the most cautious and sceptical leaders are beginning to realise that if we want to talk seriously about the security and military strength of Europe, we must start with this dome, because then the European superiority over Russia - financial, economic and technological - will find its full expression," Tusk said.

"It should be a joint venture" to "eliminate unreasonable competition between member states," he added.

In a joint letter, Poland and Greece insist on wasting no time and allocating forces and means to implement this project. 

The preparation and financing of this project at the European level will be an important signal that Europe is united and determined to defend itself and is an economic and military force to be reckoned with.

As the prime ministers noted, Russia's war against Ukraine has deeply disrupted the security and defence architecture on the European continent. 

Last month, Tusk expressed interest in joining a pan-European air defence project during a meeting with his Danish counterpart, Mette Frederiksen.

"Denmark, together with Germany and the United Kingdom, is working together to create a European missile and air defence system," Tusk said, adding that Frederiksen "reacted positively to my intention to have Poland join this project."

The European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI), as it is officially known, was launched by German Chancellor Olal Scholz in 2022 with the participation of 15 European states, all of which are NATO members. Other countries have since joined the initiative.