German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has confirmed that on February 19, the European Union will make a decision on a military operation in the Red Sea. This information was reported by Reuters.
Previously, the launch of the EU mission on this day was reported by TASS, citing a high-ranking representative of the community. The operation will be named Aspides (“Shields”). It is expected that the mission will achieve its goals and objectives within a year.
According to the Spanish newspaper El País, Greece will lead the operation, and the mission’s operational headquarters will be located on board an Italian ship. It is claimed that EU ships will only respond to attacks from the sea and will not fire towards the mainland. The EU mission will be conducted separately from the US-led Prosperity Guardian operation, but they will cooperate and exchange data.
Previously, the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, also stated that the EU member states’ naval mission would be defensive.
Earlier, Borrell called on the EU to prepare for war.
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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has confirmed that the European Union will be making a decision on a potential military operation in the Red Sea on February 19th. The operation, named Aspides (“Shields”), is expected to commence within a year. The mission will primarily focus on responding to maritime attacks and will not engage in any offensive actions towards the mainland. Greece will lead the operation, with the operational headquarters stationed on an Italian ship. While the EU mission will operate independently from the US-led Prosperity Guardian operation, there will be collaboration and data sharing between the two. It is worth noting that EU officials have emphasized the defensive nature of this naval mission. This development comes after EU diplomat Josep Borrell’s call for the EU to prepare for potential conflict.
