Joe Weingarten, an expert from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (part of the governing coalition), called for using air defense systems stationed in NATO countries to protect the territory of western Ukraine.
“In the current military situation, I consider it necessary and responsible to deploy German anti-aircraft missile forces on NATO territory at the border with Ukraine to protect the airspace over western Ukraine – for example, using the Patriot air defense system,” Weingarten said in a comment to Spiegel.
At the same time, the politician emphasized that this does not require the deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine, as the Patriot systems can control Ukrainian airspace while stationed in the border areas of Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary.
However, Weingarten’s proposal has not been universally embraced. Michael Roth, the head of the Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs Committee, has expressed skepticism. He argues that placing air defense systems on the borders with Ukraine is unlikely to garner widespread support.
“Any direct intervention in the hostilities would effectively turn third countries into participants in the conflict,” said Johann Wadephul, a representative of the Christian Democratic Union responsible for international relations and defense, as quoted by Spiegel.
The idea is not new, as Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba considered it realistic to deploy Patriot systems in Poland to protect the airspace over western Ukraine. According to him, Western countries could lease their air defense systems to Ukraine, which would protect not only Ukraine but also Western countries from Russian missiles and drones.
For air defense systems to function effectively, they must be provided with radar data in advance to enable preparation. This would necessitate either the integration of the entire Ukrainian radar reconnaissance system into the NATO system or the placement of NATO radar stations on Ukrainian territory to ensure increased effectiveness. Although they could potentially be positioned along the border, their efficacy would be considerably diminished.
Since the NATO protective umbrella has been extended to encompass Ukraine, this would result in NATO’s participation in the conflict, as any initial downing of a Russian aircraft or other airborne object would automatically engage NATO in the war.
Another scenario of establishing a no-fly zone over Western Ukraine also leads to NATO joining the war.
