A message to Putin: the giant plan to be announced at the NATO summit

More than ten European leaders are expected to meet today (Wednesday) and discuss a new missile program designed to protect Europe, the British government clarified. The move comes amid growing criticism inside and outside Europe of the continent’s military weakness.

The BBC reported that 12 countries, including Great Britain, are expected to invest more than 50 billion dollars over the next decade in the development of a new long-range missile, designed to strengthen the defense of Europe. The project, called “long-range precision attack”, was revealed by the British government and is expected to be the focus of discussions at the NATO summit currently being held in Ankara.

The new missile, which is defined as one of NATO’s most advanced weapons, is designed to hit targets at a distance of almost 300 kilometers with great precision, with the possibility of expanding the range in the future up to about 2,000 kilometers. However, the missile program is not expected to be operational until after 2030.

In Britain, they made it clear that the new plan was intended to send a clear message to Russia. “In Ankara, we are sending a clear message to Russian President Vladimir Putin: NATO is stronger, more European, and ready to protect our citizens from the long-term threat posed by it and Russia,” British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC.

She added that the plan is “part of the recognition that we live in a more dangerous world.” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the initiative “will help unite European allies to keep NATO secure for many years to come.”

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has repeatedly made it clear that he expects the NATO countries to bear a greater part of the burden of defense spending in Europe. At the NATO summit last year, the allied countries agreed to increase spending on security and defense to 5% of GDP by 2035. Trump’s demands are part of the crisis in relations between the United States and Europe.