European allies including the UK could send a fleet of 120 fighter jets to the skies over Ukraine in a bid to protect it from Russian missile and drone attacks. If it goes ahead, Operation Sky Shield would include aircrafts from the RAF sent to Eastern Europe to monitor a so-called Air Protection Zone over the war-torn region.
The defence plan would function separately from NATO and comes after US President Donald Trump‘s repeated warnings that he could cut Europe off to face the threat of Russia alone. The protection zone would help to shield key pieces of Ukrainian infrastructure including its nuclear power plants and the battered cities of Lviv and Odesa – but would not operate in eastern regions due to fears of a direct confrontation between Western and Russian troops.
Operation Sky Shield was initially proposed back in 2022 but could be revived amid fears that the US will permanently withdraw its support from Kyiv. Military experts believe that the initiative could have a “greater military, political and socioeconomic impact than 10,000 European ground troops,” The Guardian reported.
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