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The “Integrated” Approach to European Defense: Implementation Opportunities and Risks for Russia

22
Rubric: Security Problems in Contemporary World
DOI: 10.20542/0131-2227-2025-69-11-27-34
EDN: JWXSNE
V. Klimov, ORCID 0000-0002-6910-1075, vasily-klimov@mail.ru
Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO), 23, Profsoyuznaya Str., Moscow, 117997, Russian Federation.
 

Received 30.06.2025. Revised 20.07.2025. Accepted 20.08.2025.

Acknowledgements. The article has been supported by a grant of the Russian Science Foundation. Project no. 24-28-20253, https://rscf.ru/en/ project/24-28-20253.


Abstract. In 2022, the North Atlantic Alliance set a course to combine the functionality of missile and air defense systems with the ultimate goal of creating a pan-European missile defense / air defense system. Russia’s special military operation was used as a pretext, during which combined attacks using ballistic, cruise missiles and UAVs were carried out on the territory of Ukraine. Thus, for the first time since the end of the Cold War, NATO’s missile defense policy has received an openly anti-Russian orientation. Earlier, this policy was justified by the prospective nuclear missile threat from Iran, which did not prevent representatives of the Russian military and political circles from constantly showing concern about the true direction of the European missile defense potential being created. In the current conditions, it is becoming increasingly obvious that in the event of a convergence of European missile defense with plans to strengthen the air defense potential on the continent, a potential combined system will be focused on intercepting Russian strikes. However, the updated priorities of the White House may to some extent postpone the prospect of deploying a joint missile defense / air defense force in Europe. While hostilities continue on the territory of Ukraine, during which the effectiveness of Western air defenses is being assessed, a high level of political and material support for the proposed plan remains high in European capitals. The article presents a historical retrospective of the creation of missile defense in Europe, the course and possibilities of implementing an “integrated” approach to the development of missile defense / air defense, as well as the role of the Ukrainian conflict in this process.

Keywords: anti-ballistic missile defense (ABM), theater missile defense (TMD), NATO military policy, European security, initiative “European Sky Shield”, Russian-American relations, Russia–NATO relations


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For citation:
Klimov V. The “Integrated” Approach to European Defense: Implementation Opportunities and Risks for Russia. World Eñonomy and International Relations, 2025, vol. 69, no. 11, pp. 27-34. https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2025-69-11-27-34 EDN: JWXSNE

Contents World Eñonomy and International Relations. 2025, vol. 69, no. 11

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