Poland, Baltic states propose defense line on border with Russia and Belarus – media

This is stated in a letter to the head of the EU, Reuters reports.

The leaders of the four countries said that the project, aimed at protecting the bloc of 27 countries and a population of 450 million, will also need financial support from all EU members.

"Building a defense infrastructure system along the EU external border with Russia and Belarus will address the dire and urgent need to secure the EU from military and hybrid threats," the journalists quoted the letter as saying.

According to the text of the letter, hybrid threats are a combination of military and non-military, as well as covert and open means, including disinformation, cyberattacks, economic pressure, and the creation of migration crises at the borders.

"The scale and costs of this joint endeavor require a dedicated EU action to support it both politically and financially," the letter states.

Some EU diplomats have estimated the cost of building such a defense line at around EUR 2.5 billion.

The call for joint funding of the ground defense line on the EU's eastern border came after the initiative of Greece and Poland to create a joint EU air defense system modeled after Israel's Iron Dome.

The letter states that the planning and construction of the defense line on the eastern border of the EU should be carried out in coordination with NATO and in relation to the requirements of the Alliance.