BRUSSELS

Fourteen NATO allies and Finland decided on Thursday to strengthen their air defense system through a joint procurement project.

Defense ministers of Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, the United Kingdom, and Finland signed a letter of intent to participate in the “European Sky Shield Initiative.”

The Germany-led project helps the participating countries develop the European air defense system by joint and cost-effective acquisitions of air defense equipment and missiles, as well as benefiting from interoperability and off-the-shelf solutions, NATO said in a statement.

“This commitment is even more crucial today, as we witness the ruthless and indiscriminate missile attacks by Russia in Ukraine, killing civilians and destroying critical infrastructure,” Mircea Geoana, the alliance’s deputy secretary-general said, welcoming the decision.

“The new assets, fully interoperable and seamlessly integrated within the NATO air and missile defense, would significantly enhance our ability to defend the Alliance from all air and missile threats,” he added.​​​​​​​