PARIS, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Nine European countries and Ukraine announced that they have established the Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition to strengthen their defense capabilities against ballistic missile threats.
In the joint statement published by the French Presidency on Monday, it was stated that the leaders of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Ukraine established the Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition "for purely defensive purposes" due to the increasing threat posed by such weapons and the increasing importance of defense capabilities for the security of Europe.
The declaration emphasized that an integrated missile defense architecture is necessary to deter and counter future missile threats for the protection of Europe.
The statement was made as leaders of the Coalition of Volunteers met in Paris on Monday, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, to discuss strengthening military support to Ukraine, especially air defense support.