Poland and Baltic States Call for EU Funding to Strengthen Eastern Borders With Russia

On June 26, countries like Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia urged the European Union to allocate funds for constructing a defense line along the bloc’s 700 km border with Russia and Belarus to protect the EU from military threats and other harmful activities from Russia.

The joint letter by the leaders of the four countries stated, that “building a defence 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.”

Russia’s escalating hybrid tactics, including disinformation, cyberattacks, and economic pressure, are driving EU leaders to address European investment in defense and its financing at an upcoming summit.

Some EU diplomats estimate the cost of this project at around €2.5 billion.

This call for a ground defense line follows a previous proposal by Greece and Poland to create a joint EU air defense system modeled on Israel’s Iron Dome. This system would integrate the currently separate air defense capabilities of EU member states.

“Extraordinary measures need to be employed as the EU’s external border must be protected and defended with military and civilian means,” the letter said.

The letter emphasized the importance of coordinating the planning and construction of the eastern border defense line with NATO, ensuring it aligns with the alliance’s military needs.

European defense investments will take center stage at the upcoming EU Summit as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine goes into its third year, with Moscow intensifying hybrid attacks against the West.

Earlier, on June 24, Poland considered complete closure of its border with Belarus after the death of a Polish soldier who was stabbed on the Polish-Belarusian border.